Transcript The Four Major Culture Periods of Pre

Ancient Americas
The Four Major Culture Periods
of Pre-Contact Native Americans
What does “culture” mean?
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Culture is the set of learned beliefs, values,
styles, and behaviors generally shared by
members of a society or group
What does “pre-contact” mean?
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Pre-contact, also known as Pre-Columbian,
refers to the time period before Christopher
Columbus visited the Americas (pre-1492)
Before this!
B.C. and A.D. vs. B.C.E. and C.E.
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What does B.C. stand for?
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What does A.D. stand for?
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Anno Domini (In the year of Our Lord)
What does B.C.E. stand for?
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Before Christ
Before Common Era
What does C.E. stand for?
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Common Era
BONUS!!!
How many years ago was 2000 BCE?
What year was 10,000 years ago?
Origins of the American Indians
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Probably came from Eastern Siberia
Most likely crossed on the Bering Land
Bridge, a natural bridge that crossed the Bering
Strait (no longer exists)
Paleoindian Culture
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10,000-8,000 B.C.E. (North Carolina)
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Indians of this time period were nomadic
(moved from one place to another)
Hunter-gatherers
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Crossed Bering land bridge around 12,000 B.C.E.
Hunted large game, such as Wooly Mammoths
Used stone weapons and tools
BONUS!!
Where is 1 CE on the timeline?
How many years did the Paleoindian Period last?
Where is 2012 CE?
Questions:
1. Which spear
points were
first used?
2. Which ones
were later
used?
3. What did
they use
them for?
4. How were
they
constructed
differently
over time?
Archaic Culture
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8000 B.C.E. - 1000 B.C.E.
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Semi-nomadic – used base camps
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Hunter-gatherers
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Hunted smaller game, such as deer
Developed atlatl (a short stick which uses
leverage to achieve great velocity in spear
throwing)
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Developed crude stone pottery
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Used and developed more stone tools
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Buried dead with care – belief in afterlife?
BONUS!!
How many years did the Archaic Period last?
Which period was the longest? How do you
know?
Atlatl
Woodland Culture
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1000 B.C.E. - 1000 C.E.
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Lived in semi-permanent villages
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Practiced Horticulture (farming = secondary
source)
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Hunted deer
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Gathered food
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Grew crops – squash, maize, sunflowers
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Developed clay pottery to cook and store food
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Developed the bow and arrow
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Buried dead with great care
BONUS!!
How many years did the Woodland Period last?
Mississippian Culture
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1000 C.E. - 1650 C.E.
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Lived in permanent villages
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Practiced agriculture (farming = primary source)
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Built ceremonial mounds
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Squash, beans, maize (corn)
e.g. Town Creek Indian Mound
Organized groups – chiefs, rule by consensus,
priests, hereditary rule
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Matrilineal Descent System – lineage and
membership in groups are inherited from one's mother
BONUS!!
How many years did the Mississippian Period
last?
Why did this period end when it did?
Town Creek Indian Mound
Indian Civilizations
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What is a civilization?
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A society with complex social hierarchies and
organized, institutional governments
Mississippians, Aztecs, Inca, Maya, and
hundreds of others!
European Explorers
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During the Age of Exploration, European
explorers came into contact with the
indigenous (native) population of the Americas
Columbian Exchange
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What was the Columbian Exchange?
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Exchange of culture, peoples, plants, animals, and
diseases between the “Old World” (Eastern
Hemisphere) and the “New World” (Western
Hemisphere)