Temporal Models in Prehistory: An Example From Eastern North America [and Comments and Reply]

Abstract

This paper deals with the topic of defining a sequence of time units for any specified archaeological area, that is, the topic of constructing temporal models in prehistory. Despite the fundamental necessity for temporal models in modern prehistoric archaeology, no generally agreed-upon, coherent set of principles is currently available to assist archaeologists in the task of temporal model formulation. Accordingly, after a brief historical review of the development of temporal models in prehistory, this paper offers a set of four basic principles to be followed in formulating such models. To illustrate the applicability of these principles, they are applied to a specific archaeological area, the Eastern Woodlands of North America, for which a new temporal model is thus presented. Additional purposes for presenting a new temporal model for Eastern North America prehistory are to stimulate a critical reevaluation of the current status of a number of basic concepts, such as Archaic and Mississippian, and to provide an up-to-date synthesis of Eastern prehistory.