The Great Pyramids of St. Louis: An Ancient Metropolis

by Mark W. Leach

Approximately 1000 years ago, the St. Louis area was the very epicenter of an extraordinary explosion of culture, population, and grand civic construction. When most people think of Native Americans, scenes from movies such as Dances with Wolves come to small bands of hunter-gatherers, living in teepees and enjoying harmony with fellow humans and nature. When contemplating what took place in the heart of America at and for several hundred years after 1050 AD, erase all such thoughts from your mind. Seemingly out of nowhere, a highly complex civilization erupted on the scene, drawing thousands of people from across the mid-continent, all hoping to take part in an exciting and sometimes dangerous cultural revolution. In nearly a blink of an eye, a massive city of earthen pyramids, causeways, roads, plazas, neighborhoods, and temples was stretching from present day St. Louis, across East St. Louis, and onward to the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Join the world's top researchers as they unravel countless mysteries of this long-lost civilization. New and often startling answers come forth from the soil every excavation season. However, no one has yet to answer the most burning Why do so few people in our region know or care about the Great Pyramids of St. Louis?

342 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2017

Reviews

[Valiant Thor]

An excellent introductory book to Cahokia and the Mississipian world.

The author is clearly knowledgeable, and has had an up-close and personal history with the pyramids/mounds of St. Louis, having been actively involved in archaeological digs, mound restorations, and protection of sites. I bought my copy in the gift shop of the Cahokia interpretive center during a visit to the site, and the copy turned out to be signed by the author, which was a nice surprise.

The book is easy to read and would be appropriate for younger people, and certainly for anyone with an interest in the subject wondering "where to start?". The gift shop had many good books, but this books's wealth of photos and illustrations is what got me to buy this one. It also doesn't get bogged down in archaeological minutia that tends to make for a tedious read.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book as a "if you only read one book on Cahokia" book, or as a "start here" on the subject book.

[Kiwi Carlisle]

This is a well-illustrated and generally well-written book about the Mississippian archaeology of the greater St. Louis area, written at a level comprehensible to most intelligent lay readers. It’s a comprehensive and up to date survey of discoveries from Emerald Mound in Illinois west to Chesterfield in Missouri and does a good job of presenting the entire area as a cultural whole.
Unfortunately, the book is horribly marred by a complete lack of proofreading. Homophone errors and basic grammatical errors appear on nearly every page. I actually found it somewhat painful to read as a result. I don’t know if the author plans to issue another edition of this useful book, but if so, I urge him to find a proofreader with a strong grasp of grammar.

[Kathy Brown]

Solid information with lots of interviews with archeologists. Many black and white photos, maps, and illustrations. A good intro into what science knows now about the Mississippian culture. However, production values for this book are lacking. Sonetimes, even self publishing, one must hire and editor and proofreader. Error undercut the message.