The ArchaicThe Archaic

9000 to 2000 years ago9000 to 2000 years ago

ThemesThemes

• Hunter‐Gatherer TheoryHunter Gatherer Theory

• Economic diversity

Ch i bili• Changes in mobility

• Beginning of farming

• Regionalization www.geo.arizona.edu

• In the context of climate change

Hunter‐Gatherer TheoryHunter Gatherer Theory 

• A society that relies on edible wild plant andA society that relies on edible wild plant and animal foods for subsistence

• Food extractors: get food from ongoing energy• Food extractors: get food from ongoing energy flows in the environment

A d t f d d th t i l t– As opposed to food producers that manipulate energy flows to grow food

• Up to 80% of food from plant gathering (analogy)

HG TheoryHG Theory

• Politically tend to be egalitarian bands (analogy)Politically, tend to be egalitarian bands (analogy)

• Economics = generalized reciprocity (analogy)

• Residential to Logistical mobility continuum

– Residential = whole group moves to follow resources

– Logistical = movement of individuals/small task groups away from and back to residence

Based on work of L. Binford (1980)

HG TheoryHG Theory

• The Forager – Collector continuumThe Forager  Collector continuum

– Foragers = high residential mobility w/ logistical mobility play a limited role

– Collectors = high logistical mobility w/ very few residential moves

Based on work of L. Binford (1980)lingweb.eva.mpg.de

ForagersForagers

• Residential mobility patternResidential mobility pattern– Many moves during the year to “map on” 

to resource locations

• Hunt and gather close to camp– Move when resources depleted

– Foraging radius small

• Archaeological site diversity low w/ base camps and activity locations (e.g., kill sites)

• Paleoindian into the Archaic

Based on work of L. Binford (1980)

H t G th F i /Hunter-Gatherer Foraging w/High Residential Mobility

From Andrefsky (1998)

CollectorsCollectors

• Logistical mobility patternLogistical mobility pattern– Few residential moves

– Task groups in and out

• Hunt and gather in much wider area– Foraging radius large

– Adapted to simultaneous resource availabilty

• Archaeologically, high diversity in site types (Late Archaic)– Base camps, specialized camps, caches, food storage

Based on work of L. Binford (1980)

H t G th C ll ti /Hunter-Gatherer Collecting w/High Logistical Mobility

From Andrefsky (1998)

ClimateClimate

• In general more aridIn general, more arid

• Altithermal: ~7500 to 3500 years ago

AltithermalAltithermal

• Weather circulation changedWeather circulation changed

• Cool, dry summers out

i• Hotter temperatures in– Winter precipitation lower

– Summer precipitation higher

www.fireflyforest.com

VegetationVegetation

• Vegetation (food) varied locallyVegetation (food) varied locally– Piñon increased in north Rio Grande not in south

Agave sotol yucca important to south– Agave, sotol, yucca important to south

uralhistory.org

img.hisupplier.comav3072.k12.sd.us

www.nmnat

Economic adaptationEconomic adaptation

• Generalist diet; locally variableGeneralist diet; locally variable

• Plant resources more heavily used– Groundstone tools .a

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Groundstone tools

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• Entailed new “scheduling decisions”– Affected mobility

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– Plan for when food available

– Seasonal round

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“In the Southwest different resources often mature at the same time in widely scattered locations…” (Plog, pg 47)

HousingHousing

• People were mobilePeople were mobile– “Highly scattered locations”

Especially early Archaic– Especially early Archaic

• Left “ephemeral” sitesLeft  ephemeral  sites

• Small structures earlySmall structures early

• Small pithouse villages latep g

Material CultureMaterial Culture

media-2.web.britannica.com

farm4.static.flickr.com

gamblershouse.files.wordpress.com

farm1.static.flickr.com www.crowcanyon.org

www.vagabondjourney.comwww.vagabondjourney.com

www.ele.net

www.petroglyphs.u

www.cdarc.org

Archaic TrendsArchaic Trends

• Diet becomes more diverse through timeDiet becomes more diverse through time

• Projectile points become more regionalized

bili b l i i l• Mobility becomes more logistical

• Farming becomes established

• Folks become more sedentaryFolks become more sedentary– Burials 

farm4.static.flickr.com

SummarySummary

www.crowcanyon.org

Residential Forager Logistical Collector

Time

VillagersForagers

Late ArchaicEarly Archaic

Sedentism

VillagersForagers

Early farmingEarly farming

• Was a supplement to hunting and gatheringWas a supplement to hunting and gathering– Intense plant use w/increasing population

• Maize and squash, early 3000 to 4000 yaq , y y

• Both = tropical plants– Had to be tended in the arid Southwest

• This affects mobility and land useThis affects mobility and land use

Corn

Corn Farming Moved from South to North about 4,000 years ago

Initial utilization 4000 yaWide spread 3000 ya

Image Courtesy Ed Huber, SRI Inc.

www.texasbeyondhistory.net

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Tularosa CaveTularosa Cave

• Late in the ArchaicLate in the Archaic– 2000 to 1000 ya

• 33 000 corn cobs• 33,000 corn cobs

• 1700 pieces of string, netting, basketry

www.fieldmuseum.org

Tularosa CaveTularosa Cave

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www.fieldmuseum.org

The role of a farming surplusThe role of a farming surplus

• A surplus & food storage stabilize food availability

f f• This maintains a consistent level of fecundity in women in a population

• Fecundity = reproductive ability (viable ova & sperm)

• Fertility = the number of offspring per person (tends to follow fecundity)

Population growthPopulation growth

Intensification of resource use

Neolithic

SurplusPopulation Increase

Paleoindian Archaic Agricultural periodsPaleoindian Archaic Agricultural periods

Consequences

• A surplus raises fecundity and fertilityA surplus raises fecundity and fertility• Population grows• More food is needed surplus must be• More food is needed, surplus must be maintained

• Specialization of labor increases ww

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• Specialization of labor increases… w

• All of these occur as villages become established in the Southwestthe Southwest

Early Village SitesEarly Village Sites

• Cerra Juanaqeña (northern Chihuahua)Cerra Juanaqeña (northern Chihuahua)

• Cienega Creek (eastern Arizona)

il ( h i )• Milagro (southeastern Arizona)

• Bat Cave (western New Mexico)

• And many other sites ≈ 3000 ya

• Exhibit…

www.texasbeyondhistory.net

Late Archaic Village patternLate Archaic Village pattern

• Multiple hearths

• PithousesPithouses

• Multiple storage pits

• Burial or cremations www.discoverseaz.com• Burial or cremations

• For example, Milagro (near Tucson)Three pit houses multiple storage pits large midden (trash– Three pit houses, multiple storage pits, large midden (trash deposits), hearths

– corn seeds found in 85% of the hearths and storage pits

Cerra JuanaqeñaCerra Juanaqeña

“The site's inhabitants ate jack rabbit, tt t il bbit l d dcottontail rabbit, mule deer, and

pronghorn antelope along with maize, wild squash, and seeds of wild plants. None of this data would, on its own,

t th ld i f th d ti fupset the old view of the adoption of agriculture. But radiocarbon dates from charred maize and wild squash fragments from the site indicate that it

i h bit d b t 1000 B Cwas inhabited about 1000 B.C., a millennium or more earlier than other such large settlements. At this early date maize was only just being introduced

t f A i d N M iover most of Arizona and New Mexico, and settlements were limited to a few small houses or rockshelters, although some larger settlements have been f d i T A i ” (B k t l )found in Tucson, Arizona” (Baker et al.).

“Burials, storage pits, and dwellings were the first components of a set of 

www.thefurtrapper.com

urials, storage pits, and dwellings were the first components of a set ofprocesses that had a significant long‐term impact on subsequent generations of ancient Southwesterners, marking the first steps toward village life” (Plog, pg 55)

www.mc.maricopa.edu