[ClearCase_guy]

An article about the very rare phenomenon of "recurrent novae" suddenly slips this in:

Some historians suggest that the appearance of a “new star,” caused by the supernova SN 1054, may have inspired Native Americans from the emerging Mississippian culture to come together and form a large urban community. This event is believed to have led to the founding of the urban mound settlement of New Cahokia, located near present-day St. Louis, Missouri.

Archaeologists believe that Cahokia, often called “America’s Forgotten City,” reached its population zenith in the late 11th century with around 40,000 inhabitants. This estimate suggests that Cahokia was among the world’s most populous cities at that time, surpassing the sizes of contemporary London and Paris.

Because we all need to know that the stone age primitives of North America had bigger cities than those stupid Europeans. And now -- back to astrophysics.

[Red Badger]

Cahokia is real..................

[TalBlack]

“Because we all need to know that the stone age primitives of North America had bigger cities than those stupid Europeans. “

Yeah! I mean SERIOUSLY! Look at at all the Injuns accomplished after they assembled all that brain power in one place!

[Theophilus]

Yeah, 11th Century injuns driven from their hard scrabble, subsistence hunting and gathering, by a new star, to form immense, environmentally friendly, cosmopolitan paradise.

I'll bet they built a great arch there to celebrate their noble savage civilization.

[Truthsearcher]

And it’s not even true. Rome had 1 million people by 1 AD. 40,000 in the 11th century is not “among the most populous cities” unless one stretched the definition of “most populous” to a ridiculous degree.