Archaeology of The Americas - Archaeological Time Periods

Archaeological Time Periods

Further information: Category:Archaeology of the Americas

The terms Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age which are used to describe early societies in most other regions are not used to describe societies of the Pre-Columbian era. Instead, one of the most enduring classifications of archaeological cultures was established in Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips' 1958 book Method and Theory in American Archaeology. They divided the archaeological record in the Americas into five phases.

Since these simplistic periods were defined, numerous regional and sub-regional divisions have been defined to distinguish various cultures through time and space. Later archaeologists recognized that these linear stages did not adequately correspond to the cultural variation that existed in different locations in the Americas. Although the Formative/Classic/Post-Classic distinction is still used in the archaeology of Mesoamerican chronology, the divisions have been replaced in most of North America by more local classifications with a more elaborated breakdown of periods of time. See: List of archaeological periods (North America)

• The Lithic stage /or Paleo-Indian period

Defined initially as a big-game hunting adaptation. In most places, this can be dated to before 8000 BC. Examples include the Clovis culture and Folsom tradition groups.

• The Archaic stage

Defined as cultures relying primarily on increasing intensive collecting of wild resources, after the decline of the big-game hunting lifestyle. Typically Archaic cultures can be dated from 8000 BC to 1000 BC. Examples include the Archaic Southwest, the Arctic small tool tradition, the Poverty Point culture, and the Chan-Chan culture in southern Chile.

• The Formative stage

Defined as "village agriculture" based. Most of these can be dated from 1000 BC to AD 500. Examples include the Dorset culture, Zapotec culture, Mimbres, Olmec, Woodland and Mississippian cultures.

• The Classic stage

Defined as "early civilizations," and typically dating from AD 500 to 1200. Willey and Phillips considered only cultures from Mesoamerica and Peru to have achieved this level of complexity. Examples include the early Maya and the Toltec.

• The Post-Classic stage

Defined as "later prehispanic civilizations" and typically dated from AD 1200 onward. The late Maya and the Aztec cultures were Post-Classic.