Section1 Prehistoric Cultures - Amazon S3Section1 Prehistoric Cultures Figure 15 Timeline: 10,000 B.C. – 1600 A.D. 30,000 B.C. – 10,000 B.C. First people crossed land bridge into

Section1Section1Prehistoric Cultures

Figure 15 Timeline: 10,000 B.C. – 1600 A.D.

30,000 B.C. – 10,000 B.C.First people crossed land bridgeinto what is now North America

4000 B.C.New Stone Age began in Europe;

Civilizations began to develop in Asia and Africa

A.D. 1000Leif EricsonexploredVinland

A.D. 1492Columbusmade firstvoyage to theNew World

10000 B.C. – 6000 B.CPaleo Indian period

7500 B.C. – 2000 B.C.Meso Indian period

2000 B.C. – A.D. 800Early Neo Indian period

800 B.C. – A.D. 1600Late Neo Indian period

1600sHistoric Indian

cultures

3500 B.C.Bronze Age began in Asia and Europe

2700 B.C.First large Egyptian pyramid was built

1400 B.C.Iron Age began 750 B.C.

Greek city-states flourished

10,000 B.C. 8,000 B.C. 6,000 B.C. 4,000 B.C. 2,000 B.C. 0 A.D. 2,000

Prehistoric CulturesAs you read, look for:• the role of archaeology in the story of prehistoric cultures,• the importance of the Poverty Point site, and• vocabulary terms archaeologist, midden, nomad, atlatl,

mound, artifacts, agriculture, and temple mounds.

Although the first people did not leave written records of their culture, theyleft hints about their lives. Clues are found at places where they prepared food,made tools, built shelters, and conducted ceremonies. These discoveries areinterpreted by archaeologists (scientists who study the items left behind byancient peoples).

Section 1 Prehistoric Cultures 143

LagniappeLagniappe

Archaeologists even dig throughancient garbage dumps, called mid-dens. Their findings explain who leftthe items, when they were left, andwhat happened at those locations.Scientists have studied sites that ex-isted thousands of years before anyEuropean set foot in Louisiana. Theydetermine the age of materials foundat a site by using radiocarbon dating.

The work of archaeologists is likedoing a jigsaw puzzle with manypieces missing. They use the informa-tion they can gather to try to deter-mine the whole picture. Sometimeswhen they find another piece of thepuzzle, they change their conclusionsabout what they are seeing. Somearchaeologists have a new theorythat early people may have come toNorth America by boat. They base thistheory on discoveries at a site on an

island off the coast of California. Tools dated to be about 8,000 years old closelyresemble tools used for boatbuilding by Indians in the twentieth century.

Archaeologists have separated Louisiana prehistory into four stages. Thosetime periods are divided by changes in movement, weapons and tools, food,and religious practices. Changes happened very gradually, and these four peri-ods are just useful ways to organize prehistory.

Paleo IndiansThe oldest known Indians in Loui-

siana date to the Paleo Indian period.(The word paleo means “ancient.”) Sci-entists believe these first people cameto North America from Asia on a landbridge that connected what is nowAlaska and Siberia. The estimated datefor this migration is about 10,000 B.C.

The Paleo Indians traveled in smallgroups and followed the animals thatprovided food and clothing. They trav-eled east and south, gradually spread-ing over the North American and SouthAmerican continents.

Map 19Bering LandBridgeMap Skill: Why is the Beringland bridge important inunderstanding how some ofthe earliest people came toAmerica?

144 Chapter 5 Louisiana’s Early People: Natives and Newcomers

�Radiocarbon dating

measures the amount ofradioactive decay of the

element carbon 14 in once-living material. Scientists

know how much decayshould occur each year

and can estimate the ageof the material based on

the amount of decay.

Above: This painting ofthe members of the U.S.Constitutional Conventionhangs in the east stairwayin the House wing of theU.S. Capitol.

When these nomads (wanderers) reached Louisiana, they found a goodhunting area with a dependable source of food. They ate a wide range ofanimals and plants. Small groups of people hunted game using three-inchstone points attached to wooden poles—spears. The hunters used the primi-tive spears to kill prehistoric elephants, called mastodons. These spear pointshave been found throughout Louisiana—on ridges and hills, at salt domes,and other places. The stone used for the spear points probably came fromArkansas or Texas.

Stone points give us clues about how these people lived. The points wouldhave been used for hunting. The Paleo people probably made clothing fromanimal skins and lived in temporary shelters. They would have moved aroundto find the animals they hunted.

Meso IndiansAfter about 7500 B.C., the climate changed and some large animals like

mastodons began to die out. The Indians hunted smaller animals like deer andrabbit and no longer followed the migrating herds. This lifestyle change sig-nals a new prehistoric period—the Meso Indians. These people were still no-madic, but they stayed in one place longer.


Using stone-tipped weapons(above), Paleo Indians killedmammoth and other largeanimals (top). These largehairy elephants were nativeto the New World untilabout 6000 B.C.

�LagniappeLagniappeMastodons were just slightly

shorter than today’s elephantsbut more heavily built.

Above: This campsite wastypical of the Meso Indians,who relied on gatheringnatural food and huntingsmaller animals after thelarge game died out.

These Indians ate a wider range of foods. The natural environment providedmany species of birds, mammals, fish, clams, reptiles, seeds, roots, nuts, andfruits. The people gathered hickory nuts, pecans, acorns, persimmons, huckle-berries, and elderberries. They hunted deer, rabbits, raccoons, and squirrels.

The Meso Indians adapted their hunting weapons for smaller game. For ex-ample, they added a throwing stick with weights, called the atlatl (at LAT l),to their spears. The weights were made of clay, stone, or shell. These improve-ments helped hunters throw their spears farther with more power. For this kindof hunting, the spear points were more varied in size and shape and were madefrom local stone.

Because they did not move around as much, the Meso Indians built morepermanent houses. Their structures were covered with branches or thatch andbuilt on posts in the ground. Near these houses, the Meso Indians also builtmounds. The first mounds may have been built as early as 5000 B.C., and thosein Louisiana existed by 3000 B.C. These early mounds were probably used dur-ing special ceremonies, but they were not used for burials.

The Meso Indians left behind many different kinds of artifacts (objects theymade and used). Archaeologists study the artifacts to learn how earlier people


Above: This pot is datedduring the Early Neo period.Below: The expansion offarming allowed more stablesettlements for the NeoIndians. They were then ableto build more permanentshelter.

LagniappeLagniappelived. These artifacts included shapedand polished stones for bowls and jew-elry. They also made baskets, boneneedles, fish hooks, beads, hairpins, tor-toise shell rattles, and shell ornaments.Their improved tools included stone axesfor chopping down trees and awls formaking holes in wood or leather.

Early Neo IndiansLearning to make pottery marks a

big change in the lives of early Indi-ans. Evidence of pottery-making marksthe next prehistoric period. LouisianaIndian pottery was first made around1000 B.C. Some pottery was plain, andother pottery was decorated with care-

ful artistic designs. Archaeologists have found large amounts of shards (bro-ken pieces of pottery) at sites dated to this period.


�The early Neo Indians rolled

coils of clay into a shapeand then smoothed them toform a container. Often theypressed fingernails, twigs,or tools into the surface orrocked a small tool across

the wet clay to createdesigns. After decoratingthe pots, they fired them

by slow baking.

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��SpotlightSpotlight

Poverty PointPoverty PointThe Poverty Point site, built by the Neo Indians, isthat culture’s largest earthworks. The large complexof mounds covers more than a square mile, about400 acres. Viewing it from the air is the only way tosee the entire structure at once.

The huge design consists of six semicircular ridges,one inside the other, divided by four aisles. For thisamazing creation, workers mounded 30 million loadsof dirt. Scientists believe that each loadweighed about 50 pounds and was carried tothe site in baskets or animal hides.

The purpose of this tremendous humaneffort remains a mystery. A recent theorysuggests the aisles may have been used forastronomical observations. Two of the aislesline up with the winter and summer solsticesunsets.

The Poverty Point people undoubtedly gath-ered there for ceremonies and celebrations.Artisans (skilled crafts persons) and tradersprobably lived at Poverty Point throughout theyear. Artifacts include trade goods from as faraway as the Great Lakes region and the Appa-lachian Mountains.

Although this society is dated duringthe Neo Indian period, the Poverty PointIndians continued the traditions of the Meso

Indians. They used spears with atlatls instead of bowsand arrows; pottery had not yet replaced their carvedsandstone and soapstone containers. The most com-monly found objects—clay cooking balls—lined thecooking pits.

Later, the Poverty Point Indians made potteryvessels and ornamental clay and stone figurines. Theymade beads from copper, clay, and exotic stones

Right: The largest mound at Poverty Point isbelieved to have been in the shape of a flyingbird, with a main ramp up the tail and sideramps up each wing. The mound stands at theapex of the system of semicircular ridges (seephoto opposite page, above).


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and crafted elaborate pendants inthe shape of birds, insects, minia-ture tools, and geometric shapes.Other artifacts included bolas, weap-ons weighted by teardrop-shapedstones called plummets.

The Poverty Point culture had dis-appeared by 600 B.C., and no evidencehas been found to explain why. Warand conflict usually leave signs asclues for later generations. Those whostudy Poverty Point must look forother reasons to explain its end. Onetheory suggests a change in the reli-gious beliefs. Visit the Poverty Pointsite and form your own opinion.

Above: In its time, the Poverty Pointsite had the largest, most elaborateearthworks anywhere in the westernhemisphere. This scale modelgives visitors an idea of what thesite looked like. The semicircularridges can only be seen easily froman airplane.


During the early Neo Indian period, people builtvillages and lived there seasonally, relying on thefood available in the area. The development of thebow and arrow around 500 A.D. made hunting deereasier. The bow was made of a bent branch, such ashickory, with deer tendons to draw the arrow. Thearrow shaft was made of local wood, and a stonepoint completed the arrow.

Mainstays of the early Neo menu were wild grapes,palmetto, fruits, pigweed, and amaranth. Amaranth

Figure 16 Prehistoric Cultures

Paleo Culture 10000 – 6000 B.C.

Meso Culture 7500 – 2000 B.C.

Early Neo Culture 2000 B.C. – A.D. 800

Late Neo Culture A.D. 800 – 1600


Top: This burial mound islocated at the MarksvilleState Commemorative Site.Above: Artifacts such asthis ceramic pipe foundat Marksville were oftenburied with the dead.

Map 20Mound Sites inLouisianaMap Skill: Is there a moundsite in your parish?

was a seed-bearing plant that is now considereda weed. Fish, deer, and shellfish added more va-riety to their diet.

The early Neo Indians made more elaborateornaments than people from earlier time peri-ods, and they traded for many items. They hadcopper ear spools and bracelets, beads, animaltooth pendants, pottery pipes, and figurines.These artifacts, along with other status symbolslike marine and freshwater shells, were oftenburied with their dead in mounds.

Late Neo IndiansThe late Neo Indian period refers to the time

from about 800 A.D. until the Europeans arrivedin the area. During this time, villages were largerand were located near waterways, which the In-dians used for travel and as a source of food.People built more permanent houses of wattleand daub, woven sticks covered with mud.

The late Neo Indians switched from gathering to agriculture (farming). Bythis time, they may have lived in one place year-round, so they could plantand harvest crops. Maize (corn), beans, squash, and pumpkins were their maincrops. They grew those crops using a method called intercropping. This involvedplanting two or more crops with different harvest times in the same plot ofland. The beans and pumpkins could sprout, grow, and bear vegetables andfruit in less time than it took the corn to mature.

During this late prehistoric period, the Indians built temples atop theirmounds. These temple mounds were used for religious ceremonies. An openplaza between two or more mounds served as the ceremonial ground. At theMedora site in West Baton Rouge Parish, for example, there was a 400-foot plazalocated between two mounds.

1. What kinds of places provide clues about the lives ofancient people?

2. Why did the Paleo Indians follow the movement of animals?3. What are some artifacts left behind by the Meso Indians?4. Why was the development of the bow and arrow so important?5. What was the purpose of temple mounds?

Check for UnderstandingCheck for Understanding✓✓


Above: Late Neo potterybecame more elaboratelydecorated with carveddesigns and colors used tohighlight the design.

Documents

Section1 Prehistoric Cultures - Amazon S3Section1 Prehistoric Cultures Figure 15 Timeline: 10,000 B.C. – 1600 A.D. 30,000 B.C. – 10,000 B.C. First people crossed land bridge into