Prehistoric Cultural History in Maryland

Archaeologists working in Maryland generally divide the Prehistoric time period into three divisions – the Paleoindian (12000 B.C. – 9500 B.C.), the Archaic (9500 B.C. – 1000 B.C.), and the Woodland (1000 B.C. – A.D. 1650).

Paleoindian (12000 B.C. – 9500 B.C.)

The Paleoindian period was a time of radical climatic change at the transition of the Pleistocene to the Holocene at the end of the last ice age. Spruce dominated boreal vegetation was replaced by the northward expansion of deciduous forest and animals migrated to new ranges or were driven to extinction. The people occupying Maryland at this time were basically a mobile society of small bands. Base camps were located near outcrops of high-quality lithic (stone) sources and smaller transient hunting camps near game attractive areas. Settlement was oriented towards the large rivers. At this time the Chesapeake Bay did not exist. This area would have been mostly dry land along the ancestral Susquehanna River that flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Artifacts for this time period that are found by archaeologists are limited to stone tools and manufacturing waste (flakes and debitage). Diagnostic fluted projectile points were made of high quality jasper, chalcedony, and chert, but also of local quartz. Typical tools included scrapers for working hide and bone.

Archaic (9500 B.C. – 1000 B.C.)

Early Archaic (9500 B.C. – 6000 B.C.) sites also do not have a relatively high visibility in the archaeological record. Much of the information we have is derived from surface finds in headwater and riverine locations. During the Early Archaic there was a gradual increase in sedentism and in the use of locally available lithic resources.

The beginning of the Middle Archaic (6000 B.C. – 3500 B.C.) corresponds to a climatic episode marked by rising temperatures, decreasing precipitation and the development of a more seasonally variable climate. Oak-hemlock-hickory forests dominated the landscape, providing extensive mast crops of acorns and nuts, which provided food for humans and the increasing deer populations. Settlements began to shift, as a wider range of environments was available to be exploited, such as upland swamps, interior ridgetops, marshes and springheads. During this time period the embayment of the Susquehanna drainage began and gradually more riverine and estuarine environments developed. With the increased shallow estuarine areas the oyster began to be exploited towards the end of the Archaic.

During the Late Archaic (3500 B.C. – 1000 B.C.) shell middens began to form where prehistoric people discarded oyster shells. Populations became increasingly sedentary and groups along the major river drainages began to show signs of territoriality. Large base camps were established at the fall lines of major freshwater streams where fish-spawning runs were most productive and at saltwater estuaries for collecting oysters. Seasonal hunting and foraging camps were located in the interior regions.

Woodland (1000 B.C. - A.D. 1600)

The increased sedentism allowed for the use of heavy steatite (soapstone) bowls towards the end of the Late Archaic. The appearance of ceramic technology around 1000 B.C. is considered to be the marker for the beginning of the Woodland Period in Maryland. The earliest pottery was a flat-bottomed ware, tempered with crushed steatite. These vessels were oblong or semi- rectangular, with straight walls and lug handles that resembled the carved stone steatite bowls. Soon after and contemporaneous with these bowls, coil-constructed pottery was made. The Early Woodland (1000 B.C. – A.D. 200) was a period of ceramic technology experimentation with tempering agents and manufacturing methods.

During the Middle Woodland (A.D. 200 – A.D. 900) there was an increase in the range of subsistence economies along the Bay and the major coastal rivers. At the same time, there was a continued expansion of long-distance trade and communication. For example raw materials, such as rhyolite from west of the Monocacy drainage, were used in large quantities in the coastal plain. During this time period crushed rock-tempered ceramics like Watson were made in the Western regions of Maryland, showing growing connections with groups in central Pennsylvania and Western Virginia. On the Coastal Plain, the shell-tempered Mockley ware became dominant pottery.

The Late Woodland (A.D. 900 – A.D. 1650) represents the continuation of economic and social trends of the preceding period. During this time, the farming of corn was introduced, even though it didn’t become a major food source until the few centuries of the Late Woodland. There was an increase in permanent settlements and eventually fortified villages, while the interior uplands continued to be exploited by hunting and foraging groups. Ceramic technology improved during the Late Woodland. Vessels were more thinly potted and fired at hotter temperatures, thus creating more durable wares. Decorative motifs became more complex and extensively used, possibly indicating different cultural affiliations.

Additional and more extensive information can be obtained for these time periods from the following sources: Curry and Kavanagh 1991; Custer 1983, 1989, 1996; Dent 1995; Gardner 1982; Herbert 1994; Hughes 1980; Kavanagh 1982; Kavanagh and Ebright 1988; Reeve and Seigel 1994; Steponaitis 1980; Wall 1993b, 2001; Wanser 1982.