The beginning of the Woodland Period was a continuation of the lifestyles seen at the end of the Archaic Period, with the major exception that a new form of technology was introduced—ceramic (clay) vessels. By 1200 A.D., many American Indians were growing maize (corn) –a tropical plant introduced from Mexico—and living in villages of varying size. Toward the end of the Woodland Period, multi-village confederations developed in some areas of eastern North America that were headed by powerful chiefs, such as Powhatan in Virginia. The Woodland Period ended following sustained contact with European colonists. The bow-and-arrow was introduced into the Eastern United States during the Woodland Period, as reflected in a distinctly triangular-shaped point.
Exhibit Halls
- About the Virtual Curation Museum
- Digging Up the Noxious Weed: The Archaeology of Tobacco Smoking Pipes
- George is Waiting: Archaeology at George Washington’s Ferry Farm
- Making No Bones About It: Why Zoorchaeologists Study Animal Bones Found at Archaeological Sites
- Telling Time with Stone: How archaeologists use chipped stone tools to find the age of archaeological sites
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