Interactive new e-book explores Cahokia Mounds and the ancient Mississippian culture

[August 02, 2013]  COLLINSVILLE -- "Mark of the Mississippians," the first in a three-volume interactive e-book series about North America's past, is now available for iPad users.

Published by the Cahokia Mounds Museum Society, the book tells the incredible story of a sophisticated Native American culture -- the Mississippians -- that flourished for hundreds of years before European contact and left an indelible mark on the America that would follow.

"Mark of the Mississippians" is available through the iBookstore application or iTunes at http://tinyurl.com/MarkOfTheMississippians. The price is $14.99.

Remnants of man-made earthen mounds still dot the Midwest and Southeastern United States, but few realize these structures were part of large ceremonial centers more than a millennium ago.

The interactive new book examines four key ceremonial centers: Cahokia in Illinois, Moundville in Alabama, Etowah in Georgia and Spiro in Oklahoma.

Dr. Elizabeth Schwartz gathered the museum resources and worked with experts to compile the book.

"People are amazed to learn that Cahokia in Illinois was a fortified city with a population of 10,000 to 20,000 in 1050 A.D.," Schwartz said. "Our real hope is that 'Mark of the Mississippians' will become required reading in American history classes throughout the country."

Within the virtual pages, viewers can access over 60 videos available for streaming.

Video interviews with leading archaeologists and scholars explain what is known of these first peoples, and how we know it. They go on to describe the latest theories and ongoing research, an engrossing mystery, since the Mississippians left no written record.

Demonstrative illustrations, interactive galleries with historic photos and timelines, 3-D graphics, and informative pop-ups also broaden the reader's learning experience. Mississippian arrowhead icons placed throughout the pages act as links to scholarly articles and papers.

The multimedia project, produced by Schwartz & Associates Creative of St. Louis, began with a grant awarded to the Cahokia Mound Museum Society by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information, visit www.archaeoexplorer.com/media.

[Text from file received from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]