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Archaic Period

Vocabulary Quiz!

Read the words on the vocabulary list. You will know some terms, but others may be unfamiliar to you. Try to come up with a definition for each word based on the context of the sentences you are reading. Choose an appropriate word to fill in the blank.

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1. Archaeologists divided the long Archaic Period into Early, Middle and Late. The Early Archiac Period represents a time of change. The climate warmed quickly, but it took about 1000 years for modern vegetation and animals to populate the region. As their surroundings changed, the Archaic people adapted.

2. To find food, these hunter-gatherers foraged in the forests. They lived in , a group that consisted of fewer than 100 people, though its size may have varied season to season. The group was generally formed of individuals related by kinship.

3. Within the group, people were organized into a , which consists of a husband, wife and children and is found in all societies. When brothers, sisters, their spouses and their children, as well as parents, are added, the family unit is called an .

4. Like the Paleoindian Period, the Archaic society was where there were only minor differences in status among individuals. These differences in status were based on age and sex, and in some situations, on skill and experience. Status was not inherited at birth, but was earned by an individual during his lifetime.

5. The Middle Archaic Period was characterized by the modern deciduous forest. Indians continued to gather all the seeds, nuts, berries and roots available in the oak, pine forest. Large roots called grew wild and abundantly in the forest, and provided a reliable source of food throughout most of the year.

6. Archaeologists have found evidence of fireplaces built in a shallow pit and used for heat, light and cooking which they term . Evidence of these fireplaces appear on archaeological sites as dark, organic stains that often contain charcoal and fire-cracked rock.

7. Archaeologists have also found evidence of posts from houses on sites. They call the remains of rotted or removed posts .

8. The big change archaeologists see in the Archaic tool kit is the development of more efficient woodworking, seed-grinding and fishing tools. Stone tools are the most tools found by archaeologists. The Indians made these tools by hitting a stone with a stone, bone or antler hammer in a planned way.

9. Spear points, knives, scrapers, and drills were chipped stone tools. They were made from high quality stone such as chert or found in quarries in the region. See an example of this stone in the picture below.

10. The tool maker removed pieces of stones called until a particular shape and sharp or dull edge was produced. The picture below is an example. The Indians made other tools by grinding and polishing softer stone.

11. Unlike the Paleoindian Period, spear points made during the Archaic Period were not fluted. They either had a stem or notches in the sides which archaeologists think made it easier for Indians to attach or to them onto a wooden shaft.

12. A major improvement in hunting was a spear thrower or that Indians invented by attaching spear points to a wooden shaft. This spear thrower acted as an extension of the hunter's arm and provided additional accuracy and distance to the spear's path.