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Paleoindian Archaic Basketmaker II Basketmaker III Pueblo I Pueblo II Pueblo III
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The Archaic Period: 5500 to 1000 B.C.FoodLike the people of the preceding Paleoindian period, those of the Archaic period were hunter-gatherers who continually moved in their search for food. But the territories of Archaic peoples—though large—were smaller than the those of earlier peoples. Archaeologists believe that Archaic hunter-gatherers traveled over well-established routes, returning each year to the same areas as plant and animal resources became seasonally available. This practice is called “making the seasonal rounds.” With the extinction of the megafauna at the end of the Ice Age, Archaic peoples had to rely on other animals for their protein. Elk, deer, and bighorn sheep were important sources of meat, as were smaller animals such as rabbits and rodents (Figure 1). All these animals could be hunted without having to travel great distances.
Even though Archaic peoples undoubtedly were skilled hunters, the types of artifacts found at Archaic sites suggest that the gathering of wild plant foods became increasingly important during this time. Wild grasses, greens, roots, tubers, seeds, nuts, and fruits were collected as they came into season, and plants that weren’t eaten immediately were stored for future use. This interest in plant foods would have led people to carefully observe where and under what conditions different plants grew best, knowledge that likely prepared them for the introduction of agriculture during the next period.
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