> CHRONOLOGY

ca. 10,000–3000 BP

  • Archaic hunter-gatherer cultures dominate ancient America.

ca. 5000 BP

  • Chumash culture emerges in southern California.

ca. 4000 BP

  • Eastern Woodland peoples grow gourds, make pottery.

ca. 3500 BP

  • Southwestern cultures cultivate corn.

ca. 2500 BP

  • Eastern Woodland cultures build burial mounds, cultivate corn.

ca. 2500–2100 BP

  • Adena culture develops in Ohio.

ca. 2100 BP–AD 400

  • Hopewell culture emerges in Ohio and Mississippi valleys.

ca. AD 200–900

  • Mogollon culture develops in New Mexico.

ca. AD 500

  • Bows and arrows appear south of Arctic.