[CP]
The second of five general cultural stages proposed by G. Willey and P. Phillips in 1958 as a framework for the study of ancient communities in the Americas. The Archaic Stage (which in the original scheme succeeded the Lithic) embraced all the post-Pleistocene hunter-gatherer communities from the period after about 8000 bc. The Archaic Stage ends when sedentary agriculture becomes the main means of subsistence; its duration is therefore subject to considerable local variation.
The Archaic Stage is characterized by subsistence economies based on sedentary resources such as nuts, seeds, and shellfish, and a closer adjustment to the forest or desert environment. As a general term still in regular use, the Archaic Stage covers a series of local and regional traditions and the cultures they embrace.
On the west coast of North America the early, middle, and late phases within the Archaic are defined, each with numerous local variations, but extending down to modern times. In the Great Basin and western interior, the Archaic is usually divided into the early Desert Archaic, middle Archaic, and late Archaic, again extending in a continuous series down to modern times. In the southwest, a single Southwestern Archaic is recognized spanning the period c.6000–100 bc , followed by a series of Formative traditions (e.g., Anasazi, Mogollon Tradition, Hohokam Culture). In the eastern woodlands an early, middle, and late Archaic is recognized, followed by the Woodland Stage after about 1000 bc.
