ABSTRACT
The Paleoindian period was followed by a long Archaic period with many regional variants in lifeways and adaptive strategies. Lifeways during the Archaic of North America were originally perceived by archaeologists to characterize a transition between Paleoindian adaptations and the eventual adoption of horticulture and the production of pottery and other evidence of more settled communities. The shift to the Archaic coincided with the onset of the Holocene around 9750 bce. Thousands of new sites and radiocarbon dating indicate that horticulture and ceramics appeared at different times in different places. Regional cultural traditions were highly variable, as is the timing of the end of the Archaic. Paleoclimatologists have been able to track the rise and fall of average annual temperatures across the continent using multiple independent lines of evidence. Conflict and the emergence of different adaptive strategies complicated the general processes of cultural evolution. Early examples of plant domestication and pottery production emerged in some regions. Overall, local populations increased and tended toward specialized adaptations during this long period.
