Early Peoples Build Complex Societies
This Grade 7 history skill from California myWorld Interactive examines early complex societies in the Americas, including the Ancestral Pueblo and Mississippian culture, covered in Chapter 6: Civilizations of the Americas. Students learn how farming enabled large settlements, impressive architecture like cliff dwellings and earth mounds, and how archaeologists study artifacts to understand these cultures.
Key Concepts
Long before Europeans arrived, the development of farming allowed some Native American groups to create large, complex societies. Two of these were the Ancestral Pueblo in the Southwest and the Mississippian culture in the Mississippi River valley.
These groups built impressive cities and structures. The Ancestral Pueblo constructed stone cliff dwellings, while the Mississippians built enormous earth mounds and the bustling town of Cahokia.
Common Questions
What were the Ancestral Pueblo and Mississippian cultures?
The Ancestral Pueblo lived in the Southwest and built stone cliff dwellings, while the Mississippian culture lived in the Mississippi River valley and built enormous earth mounds and the bustling town of Cahokia. Both developed complex societies based on farming.
How did farming enable complex societies in the Americas?
The development of farming allowed some Native American groups like the Ancestral Pueblo and Mississippians to stop moving and create large, stable communities with specialized roles, impressive architecture, and organized social structures.
What are artifacts and how do historians use them to study early Americas?
Artifacts are objects left behind by past cultures, such as pottery, tools, and ruins. Since the Ancestral Pueblo and Mississippian cultures left no written records, historians rely on these artifacts to understand how they lived.
What chapter covers early American civilizations in California myWorld Interactive Grade 7?
Early complex societies in the Americas including the Ancestral Pueblo and Mississippian culture are covered in Chapter 6: Civilizations of the Americas in California myWorld Interactive, Grade 7.
What was Cahokia and why is it important?
Cahokia was a major Mississippian settlement in the Mississippi River valley, known for its enormous earth mounds and large population. It shows the sophistication of pre-Columbian Native American societies.