Archaic Period (Americas) facts for kids

The Archaic Period is an important time in the archaeology of the Americas. It is also called the "Archaic stage." This period comes after the Lithic stage and before the Formative stage.

During the Archaic Period, people in the Americas started to change how they lived. They began to rely more on growing their own food. They also started to live in more permanent villages.

What Was the Archaic Period?

The Archaic Period is a time when ancient people in the Americas made big changes. It's like a bridge between very old ways of life and newer ones.

How Did People Live?

• People slowly started to grow their own food. This meant they didn't have to hunt as much.
• They learned how to make pottery. This was useful for cooking and storing food.
• They also developed weaving skills. This helped them make clothes and other useful items.
• Instead of moving around a lot, people began to live in permanent villages.
• In the early part of this period, hunting large animals became less common. People started gathering more plants and smaller animals for food.
• By the end of the Archaic Period, especially in parts of South America, people had stable farming systems. They lived in settled villages and even built special buildings for ceremonies.

When and Where Was It?

The exact dates for the Archaic Period can be different depending on the region. This is because different groups of people developed at different speeds.

Mesoamerica

• In Mesoamerica (which includes parts of modern-day Mexico and Central America), the Archaic Period lasted from about 3500 BC to 1800 BC.
• Important places from this time include Coxcatlan Cave and Tehuacán. These sites show how maize (corn) farming began.

North America

• In North America, the Archaic Period generally ran from about 11,500 to 3200 years ago.
• It is often divided into three parts:
  • Early Archaic: 11,500 to 8900 years ago
  • Middle Archaic: 8900 to 5800 years ago
  • Late Archaic: 5800 to 3200 years ago

Peru

• In pre-Columbian Peru, the term "Archaic Period" might not be used as much. Instead, this time is often called the Pre-Ceramic period. This name highlights that people lived before they made pottery.

The Five Stages of American Archaeology

The Archaic Period is the second of five main stages. These stages were defined by two archaeologists, Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips, in their 1958 book.

The five stages are:

• The Lithic stage (the earliest time, when people hunted big animals)
• The Archaic stage (when farming and settled life began)
• The Formative stage (when farming became more advanced and societies grew)
• The Classic stage (when large civilizations with big cities appeared)
• The Post-Classic stage (the period before Europeans arrived)

See also

In Spanish: Periodo arcaico de América para niños