Archaic period in the Americas

In the sequence of North American pre-Columbian cultural stages first proposed by Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips in 1958[1], the Archaic stage or "Meso-Indian period"[2] was the second period of human occupation in the Americas, from around 8000 B.C. to 2000 B.C. As its ending is defined by the adoption of sedentary farming, this date can vary "significantly across the Americas".

The Archaic stage is characterized by subsistence economies supported through the exploitation of nuts, seeds and shellfish. Numerous local variations have been identified. The period has been subdivided by region and then time. For-instance, the Archaic Southwest tradition is subdivided into the Dieguito-Pinto, Oshara, Cochise and Chihuahua cultures.[3]

The Archaic period followed the Lithic stage and was superseded by the Formative stage.[4]

1. The Lithic stage
2. The Archaic stage
3. The Formative stage
4. The Classic stage
5. The Post-Classic stage


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