Ancient Communities

Chapter 3

Ancient Communities

BeringiaAn ice age created a

land bridge connecting Asia w/ North America.

The first humans came to North America by crossing that bridge.

When the ice age ended, the land bridge flooded, becoming the Bering Strait.

Paleo Indians 1961: scientists discover evidence of Paleo

Indian hunters in Oklahoma. Thousands of years ago, six-foot tall bison,

camels, horses, and sloths the size of elephants lived in the area that is Oklahoma.

Columbian mammoth bones were found at the Cooperton site in Kiowa County.

Soil deposits date to about 30,000 years ago at Burnham site.

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Paleo Indians: Clovis People The Clovis people, named after the New

Mexico site where first artifacts were reported, were known for their spears (spear point usually 3-4 inches long)

There is an important Clovis site near Stecker in Caddo County.

The Clovis people first hunted mammoths and then switched to bison as the mammoth population declined.

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Click for information on Jake Bluff.

Big Game HuntersReached Oklahoma

11,000 years agoDomebo:

archaeologists find skeleton of a mammoth w/ Clovis points still within it’s bones.Caddo County

Ate seeds, hunted, told stories, and slept beside open fire.

Paleo Indians: Clovis People The Clovis people, named after the New

Mexico site where first artifacts were reported, were known for their spears (spear point usually 3-4 inches long)

There is an important Clovis site near Stecker in Caddo County.

The Clovis people first hunted mammoths and then switched to bison as the mammoth population declined.

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Click for information on Jake Bluff.

Archaic Culture ForagersDescendants of the Big-

Game huntersMore complex society,

based on foraging.Hunted modern species

of buffalo and deer.More skilled than BGH.Atlatl: wooden throwing

stick.Made baskets, nets,

string, canoes.Petroglyphs

Archaic Culture Foragers As climate changed, the people adapted

and their culture changed. They become hunters and harvesters and

made flour and stored it in baskets. Pieces of bone and antler became spear

points, needles, awls, punches, and atlatl hooks.

They ate a variety of wild animals and knew how to start a fire with a wood drill.

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Woodland Culture/ Early FarmersPlanted corn, beans,

pumpkins, and squash.Built houses using poles

w/ thatch roofs. Still hunted and

gathered on prairie close to farms.

First pottery in area.Made by womenCoil MethodHelped w/ food

preparation and storageWater gathering

Bow and arrow were developed about this time and made hunting easier.

Because farming meant growing crops, people moved less and villages began to develop.

Golden Age of PrehistoryA.D. 900People become social

Plains Village FarmersArcheologists have

found more than 200 sites w/ at least 12 dwellings along Washita River.

Houses square w/ clay and grass plaster and thatch roofs.

Traded w/ people in distant communities.

Plains Village Farmers

• Archeologists have found more than 200 sites w/ at least 12 dwellings along Washita River.

• Houses square w/ clay and grass plaster and thatch roofs.

• Traded w/ people in distant communities.

Planted greater variety of cropsTobaccotools

More effective huntersBow and Arrow

PotteryEarly religion?

No elaborate ceremonies

No social classesNo mounds

600-1500 AD

Caddoan Mound BuildersSpiro

Advanced, sedentary societyUnprecedented horticultural activity and

population growth.Complex social and political hierarchies,

ceremonialism, long distance tradeSpiro is one of the best examples of North

American Caddoan culture.

Caddoan Cultures

Geography… what does it mean that Spiro was a “gateway” civilization?

Located on the Arkansas River, where it is constricted by Ozark and Ouachita Mountains.

Excellent spot to monitor and control the flow of people, commerce, and information between the bison hunting plains people and farming centers in the southeast

Evidence suggests that by 850 the “Spiro” mound builders were in complete control of the area.

There is no evidence of defensive works/structures or strife with neighbors.

How do we know this?

The MoundsThe Spiro site was a

ceremonial-burial center surrounded by small hamlets.

Mounds are full of burials including STATUS GOODS.

Status Goods: items denoting wealth, power or prestige that are interred with an individual.

Craig MoundThe largest of the Spiro Mounds it is 33

feet tall, 400 feet long and 115 feet wide.It holds approximately 700 burials.

We know that Spiro mastered a great network of trading partners.

How do we know this???

Trade

Galena from SE Missouri and IowaQuartz from central ArkansasFlint from KansasCopper from eastern Tennessee and the

CarolinasConch shell from FloridaWhich of these status goods was considered

most valuable??

Copper and conch shell because they were from the farthest areas

There was more copper and marine shell at Spiro than at any other North American site.

Exotic goods arrived finished, suggesting they were sent as TRIBUTE to seal political alliances or as payment for religious rituals.

An extended period of drought probably moved the villages south to the Red River Valley and the mounds were generally abandoned over many decades.

Over many, many, many generations, these people re-organized themselves into what is today known as the Wichita Indian Tribe.

Demise