Woodland trade networks distributed exotic raw materials and finished ceremonial artifacts all across eastern North America. During this time, people widely adopted horticulture, pottery-making, the bow and arrow, and complex ceremonies surrounding death and burial. Examples include the Armstrong culture, Copena culture, Crab Orchard culture, Fourche Maline culture, the Goodall Focus, the Havana Hopewell culture, the Kansas City Hopewell, the Marksville culture, and the Swift Creek culture. 16, 6561–6566, Behm, Jeffrey (2007 March) Middle Woodland. Alternatively, the efficiency of bows and arrows in hunting may have decimated the large game animals, forcing the tribes to break apart into smaller clans to better use local resources, thus limiting the trade potential of each group. Although many of the Middle Woodland cultures are called "Hopewellian", and groups shared ceremonial practices, archeologists have identified the development of distinctly separate cultures during the Middle Woodland period. In north-central Iowa, settlements were placed near the shores of natural lakes, where native … "Prehistory of the Americas, 2nd Edition." However, they would leave as needed to hunt or fish in the surrounding areas. Woodland Period The Woodland period is a label used by archaeologists to designate pre-Columbian Native American occupations dating between roughly 600 BC and AD 1000 … They were made by soft-hammering percussion, and finished by pressure flaking.[14]. in eastern North America at 3800 B.P. Adena Culture – 1000 BC to 1 AD. One style was the Trempealeau phase which could have been seen by the Hopewell in Indiana. The late Woodland period was a time of apparent population dispersal, although populations do not appear to have decreased. There is evidence that many small groups occasionally gathered together to build mounds and maintain long-range ties. The Woodland period, lasting from about 3,000 BC to 1000 AD, is an archaeological classification of Native American cultures of North America prior to European contact. 549 Words2 Pages. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Compiled by Kathy Weiser-Alexander, March 2020. As communities became more isolated, they began to develop in their own unique ways, giving rise to small-scale cultures that were distinctive to their regional areas. The beginning of the Middle Woodland saw a shift of settlement to the Interior. The Far Northeast, the Sub-Arctic, and the Northwest/Plains regions widely adopted pottery somewhat later, about 200 BCE. Another result of people not moving around as much was that the various bands did not see each other and share ideas as often, so styles of making pottery and tools became very distinct from region to region. We use cookies. They did so, however, by cultivating starchy seeds rather than by gathering more acorns." Oshkosh, WI, List of archaeological periods (Mesoamerica), "The Woodland Period (ca. Pottery, which had been manufactured during the Archaic period in limited amounts, became widespread across the Eastern Interior, the Southeast, and the Northeast. The Early Woodland period continued many trends begun during the Late and Terminal Archaic periods, including extensive mound-building, regional distinctive burial complexes, the trade of exotic goods across a large area of North America as part of interaction spheres, the reliance on both wild and domesticated plant foods, and a mobile subsistence strategy in which small groups took advantage of seasonally available resources such as nuts, fish, shellfish, and wild plants. These included Archaic, and Woodland period, and Mississippian period … In the classification of archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BC to European contact in the eastern part of North America, with some archaeologists distinguishing the Mississippian period, from 1000 AD to European contact as a separate period. "Seeking Our Past: An Introduction to North American Archaeology". 106, no. While full scale intensive agriculture did not begin until the following Mississippian period, the beginning of serious cultivation greatly supplemented the gathering of plants. The Hopewell culture flourished in Ohio and other parts of eastern North America during the Middle Woodland Period, possibly as early as 100 B.C. Stage classification. "Patterns of Wild Plant Utilization in the Prehistoric Eastern Woodlands". As the Woodland period progressed, local and inter-regional trade of exotic materials greatly increased to the point where a trade network covered most of the Eastern Woodlands. Cambridge University Press. Like the Archaic Period, each Woodland sub-period represents a slightly different way of life. (Last Privacy Policy Update July 2020), Byways & Historic Trails – Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Alva Gould – Discoverer of the Famous Gould and Curry Mine, Honest Miner To a Poker-Playing Politician, Old Tom – A Typical Mining Camp Character, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado. Such similarities could also be the result of reciprocal trade, obligations, or both between local clans that controlled specific territories. In the classification of archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BCE to European contact in the eastern part of North America, with some archaeologists distinguishing the Mississippian period, from 1000 CE to European contact as a separate period. The University of the State of New York, Albany. (1970). Woodland cultures, prehistoric cultures of eastern North America dating from the 1st millennium bc. Intensive cultivation of native food crops such as chenopodium, sunflowers, and gourds was widespread by 1000 BC. Various types of pottery were made including bowls, jars, and serving, storage. People began making stone projectile points that were shorter, thinner, and more triangular so they could be attached to arrows. The most conclusive evidence suggests that native copper was utilized to produce a wide variety of tools beginning in the Middle Archaic period circa 4,000 BC. [3] It can be characterized as a chronological and cultural manifestation without any massive changes in a short time but instead having a continuous development in stone and bone tools, leather crafting, textile manufacture, cultivation, and shelter construction. Among the traded materials were copper from the Lake Superior deposits; silver from Lake Superior and especially Ontario; galena from Missouri and Illinois; mica from the southern Appalachians; chert from various places including Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois; pipestone from Ohio and Illinois; alligator teeth from the lower Mississippi Valley eastward to Florida; marine shells, especially whelks, from the south Atlantic and Gulf coasts; Knife River chalcedony from North Dakota; and obsidian from Yellowstone in Wyoming. Intensive agriculture characterizes the Mississippian period from c. 1000–1400 CE and may have continued up to European contact, around 500 years ago.[4]. Seasonal foraging also characterized the strategies of many interior populations, with groups moving strategically among dense resource areas. Recently evidence has accumulated a greater reliance on woodland peoples on cultivation in this period, at least in some localities, than has historically been recognized. 2000 B.C. Archaeologists have defined several cultures within the Woodland Period. Oxford University Press. [10] Nuts were processed in large amounts, including hickory and acorns, and many wild berries, including palm berries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, were eaten, as well as wild grapes and persimmon. The people of this era lived in small bands of related families, who shared a base camp most of the year. Populations increased and settlements filled up the landscape, spreading northward up small streams. Our cookies are delicious. Pottery, agriculture, and permanent settlements have often been thought of the three defining characteristics of the Woodland period. In Paul E. Minnis, People and Plants in Ancient Eastern North America, Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, Bruce D. Smith and Richard A. Yarnell (2009). Likely as a result of these regional gatherings, pottery from different places developed widespread similarities in form and decoration. Woodland Period by Dean Quigley, National Park Service. Middle Woodland Period - The Hopewell Culture The Middle Woodland period, which lasted from roughly 100 B.C. The Early Woodland period began in the southern and midwestern part of North America about 1200 BC. The earliest pottery included some that were made from plant fibers that were more typical of the Archaic period. One of the early periods was the Eastern Woodland period (800-200 BCE) which led to the mound emergence and when the Middle Woodland period (c. 200 BCE- AD 400) started, the mounds became more significant for ritual and spiritual meaning … Pottery, which had been manufactured during the Archaic period in limited amounts, was now widespread across the Eastern Interior, the Southeast, and the Northeast. Clan heads would then be buried along with goods received from their trading partners to symbolize the relationships they had established. Woodland period. Throughout the Southeast and north of the Ohio River, burial mounds of important people were very elaborate and contained a variety of mortuary gifts, many of which were not local. American Anthropologist 72(4):802–15. These mounds, varying in size and shape, were generally were built on top of burial pits or tombs of important individuals. The Woodland Period -- an archaeologically-designated period -- generally marks the appearance of pottery, cultivated plants, settled village life and mound building on the North American Continent. The Havana style found in Illinois had a decorated neck. This archaeological designation is often mistakenly conflated with the eco-cultural delineation of the continent’s eastern culture areas: the term Eastern Woodland cultures refers to the early … Historic Occupation II. The Eastern Woodlands cultural region covers what is now eastern Canada south of the Subarctic region, the Eastern United States, along to the Gulf of Mexico.[2]. [8] This research indicated that a fiber-tempered horizon of ceramics greatly predates 1000 BCE, first appearing about 2500 BCE in parts of Florida with the Orange culture and in Georgia with the Stallings culture. [11] Smith and Yarnell refer to an "indigenous crop complex" as early as 3800 B.P. This period was also characterized by a lack of the non-local artifacts and materials that had been seen in the previous 500 years. In fact, it appears that hunting and gathering continued as the basic subsistence economy and that subsistence horticulture/agriculture did not occur in much of the Southeast for a couple of thousand years after the introduction of pottery, and in parts of the Northeast, horticulture was never practiced. In the classification of archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from 1000 BCE to European contact in the eastern part of North America, with some archaeologists distinguishing the Mississippian period, from 1000 CE to European contact as a separate period. "Hopewell, Middle Woodland, and the Laurel Culture: A Problem in Archaeological Classification". Early Woodland Period – 3000 BC to 200 BC. Many were decorated with stamped, punctuated, pinched, or brushed designs, and some were painted. [13] The most archaeologically certifiable sites of burial during this time were in Illinois and Ohio. Because they now grew food that could be stored, people developed large, rounded jars used for storage. The pottery was sometimes traded with other groups. Over most of this area these cultures were replaced by the Mississippian culture (q.v.) But there were changes which definitely distinguish the Woodland era from the earlier period. During this time, populations increased and settlements filled up the landscape, spreading northward up small streams. Late Woodland settlements became more numerous, but the size of each one (with exceptions) was smaller than their middle Woodland counterparts. ", PNAS, vol. These were quite large and corner-notched. – A.D. 1000)", List of archaeological periods (North America), Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska, Dr. Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital, Pawnee Mission and Burnt Village Archeological Site, Little Maquoketa River Mounds State Preserve, University of Tennessee Agriculture Farm Mound, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Woodland_period&oldid=998230384, 10th-century disestablishments in North America, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 January 2021, at 11:49. University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. As the Hopewell culture declined, mortuary practices became more variable and simplified. in … And, in some regions, pottery predates the onset of Woodland cultures by over 1000 years. Despite the apparent reduction of inter-regional exchange, the Late Woodland period was a time of important cultural changes, including the appearance of the bow and arrow in about around AD 700. The Old Copper Complex, also known as the Old Copper Culture, refers to the items made by early inhabitants of the Great Lakes region during a period that spans several thousand years and covers several thousand square miles. This was the last major prehistoric culture in North America prior to … The Archaic and Woodland periods, the archaeological periods following the Paleo-Indian, are characterized by the development of plant domestication and the beginnings of organized agricultural activities. In the classification of Archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BC to European contact in the eastern part of North America, with some archaeologists distinguishing the Mississippian period, from AD 1000 to European contact as a separate period. This is especially true for the middle woodland period and perhaps beyond. Furthermore, despite the widespread adoption of the bow and arrow during this time, the peoples of a few areas appear never to have made the change. In North America, recognition of the ecological benefits of prescribed burning was slow in coming and varied geographically. Woodland period. However, this pottery was not widespread, and most pottery was made with clay, tempered with crushed rock or limestone. The Early Woodland lasted from about 3000 BC to 200 BC. People continued to live in base camps, but their increased numbers led to competition for resources and an increase in warfare. The name we use comes from Mordecai Hopewell, a Chillicothe landowner on whose property mounds were excavated in the 1800s. Many of the graves included rich goods such as copper bracelets, beads, art objects made from mica, hematite, banded slate, and other kinds of stone. The bow and arrow made hunting less of a communal activity than it had been in the past, and individual families became more self-sufficient. EVIDENCE FOR STEPPED PYRAMIDS OF SHELL IN THE WOODLAND PERIOD OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA Thomas J. Pluckhahn, Victor D. Thompson, and W. Jack Rink Antiquarians of the nineteenth century referred to the largest monumental constructions in eastern North America as pyramids, but this usage faded among archaeologists by the mid-twentieth century. One of the major tools unique to this era was Snyders Points. Woodland Periods in North America. In this unique volume, archaeologists examine the changing economic structure of trade in North America over a period of 6,000 years. More and more people used pottery for their containers in addition to baskets. National Park Service Due to the similarity of earthworks and burial goods, researchers assume a common body of religious practice and cultural interaction existed throughout the entire region (referred to as the "Hopewellian Interaction Sphere"). In addition, the pace of cultural change began to quicken. to 400 A.D., is perhaps best known in the Ohio River Valley as the era during which the Hopewell culture flourished. Under this scenario, permanent settlements would be likely to develop, leading to increased agricultural production and a population increase. The oldest mound associated with the Woodland period was the mortuary mound and pond complex at the Fort Center site in Glade County, Florida. Early Woodland Period – 1000 BC to 200 BC. In most areas construction of burial mounds decreased drastically, as well as long-distance trade in exotic materials. However, it is now clear, that the beginnings of these developments lie deeper in the past by a thousand years or more. By the beginning of the Woodland period, climatic conditions had reached an approximation of the modern-day climate. Each contribution explores neighboring areas to llustrate the complexity of North … Early Woodland Period 1,000 BCE to 1 CE This period was marked by the creation of extensive mound-building, burial complexes, the trade goods across a large area of North America. The reasons for this are unknown, but it has been theorized that populations increased so much that trade alone could no longer support the communities and some clans resorted to raiding others for resources. Considered a developmental period, it involved tools made of bones and stone, making of textiles, shelter such as tents, and leather. 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