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LinksPlains Villagers of the Texas Panhandle |
Bridging the Gap Between Old and New What follows the Clovis period of cultural development and identification is referred to by archaeologists as "The Archaic period." Until recently the Archaic period was dated from 6000 BC until about 700 AD and in an article published in the Handbook of Texas Online Hester and Turner stated that "much of Texas prehistory is subsumed within this long time span." The longest gap of cultural change in Texas Panhandle prehistory, if historical revisions are considered, spans between 12,975 BC (Clovis beginnings) and about 700 AD for the precursor to the Antelope Creek culture. However, given new evidence discovered by archaeologists "once thought to span thousands of years, the Clovis era is now dated to a few hundred, roughly from 11,400 to 10,900 radiocarbon years ago (13,325 - 12,975 cal BP)." This postulation in Discovering Archaeology back dates the beginning of the Archaic period to around 13,000 cal BP. Various other sources date the Archaic period from 8000 BC to about 1000 BC, thus the divergent dates are all supported by various forms of archaeological evidence from different times and places. There is currently a several thousand year gap in scholarship related to this period, which spans from between 6000 BC and 700 AD. The lines of change seem to be blurry and documentation is currently not available in this series of articles. The Archaic period was a long time span of hunting and gathering and is most notable for changes in projectile points from the previous Paleo-Indian period. Paleo points were distinguished by their fluting, whereas the Archaic period saw that style disappear in favor of the more parallel-sided lanceolate form. Other changes in this time period include the wider distribution of sites inhabited by the Archaic culture. Larger populations during the Archaic period used local agricultural and animal resources which resembled Indians of the more modern Antelope Creek and pre-Columbian periods. Bison was the primary source of big game. Later in the Archaic period, from 2500 BC to about 1000 BC population increases were normal throughout the southwest and the local cultures became more specialized on a regional basis. Cemeteries with large numbers of dead began to appear which indicate that hunter-gatherer cultures of the past were beginning to be more semisedentary, allowing for specialized trade from cultures and groups from more distant locations. The end of the Archaic period (300 BC to about 1200 BC) is most characterized by the introduction of the bow and arrow as the primary tool for hunting. Discoveries of pottery among hunter-gatherers reflect an increasing tendency to remain static in their residential habits. Eventually prehistoric societies in the Texas Panhandle would take on a more permanent-like characteristic with the occupation of relatively elaborate built up areas and formal villages. Those characteristics are more typical of the later Antelope Creek and Buried City Cultures. |