How and why did Native Americans get to Georgia?
Approximately 12,000 years ago, the first people came to North
America. They crossed over Beringia - the dry land of the Bering Strait - following the herds of animals they hunted for food. These first people are known as Paleo-Indians (10,000 B.C. - 8,000 B.C.). They lived for about 30 to 40 years, had high infant death rates, and probably ate raw meat.
Who were the Archaic Indians and what developments did they make?
Around 10,000 years ago (8,000 B.C. - 1,000 B.C.) the Archaic
Indians began spreading to the south and east. They migrated from one area to another in groups searching for food. if an area had a good food supply - berries, fish, and game animals - the Archaic Indians would settle down for fairly long periods of time. They made weapons, tools, and utensils out of stone, wood, bone, deer antlers, shells, and hides, as well as plant and animal fibers. They had pet dogs which were sometimes buried in the same graves as humans. The Archaic Indians probably cooked food by dropping heated rocks into tightly woven baskets filled with water.
Around 2,500 B.C. the Indians in Georgia learned how to make pottery out of clay. This was one of the most important advances the
American Indians made and probably happened about 4,500 years ago.
Why was the development of pottery so important?
The development of pottery was important because it allowed the
Indians to cook food more thoroughly and faster. It also allowed the
Indians to store food and seeds safely. The storing of seeds led to farming and more settled ways of life. Pottery shards - fragments of pottery - help archaeologists determine how Indian life changed over the years.

Who were the Woodland Indians and how were they different from the
Archaic Indians?
As time passed, the Indians living in Georgia changed their way of life and beliefs about death and the afterlife. The Woodland Indian tradition lasted from about 1,000 B.C. to 800 A.D. They continued to hunt game and gather seeds, nuts, berries, and roots for food; but they did not travel as far as their ancestors. They developed the bow and arrow for hunting, lived more permanent and settled lives, and planted and tended crops. Most groups of Woodland Indians made pottery. They also paid great attention to the death and burial of certain people. The Georgia
Woodland Indians built mounds that served as burial chambers. Some mounds weren't used for this purpose, but were made in the shape of animals. These mounds, called effigy mounds, probably served some religious purpose, but archaeologists do not know exactly why these mounds were build. Rock Eagle was made from quartz rocks in the shape of a large bird and is located near Eatonton. You can't tell what the figure is unless you are very high off the ground.
Who were the Mississippian Indians and what happened to their culture?
The Mississippian Indian culture lasted from 1,000 A.D. to 1,600 A.D.
Between 700 and 900 A.D. the Mississippian culture developed along the
Mississippi River and spread to other areas of the southeast. They looked for places that had the following: 1) rich bottom lands by rivers, 2) long moist growing seasons, and 3) good deer and turkey hunting. The
Mississippian Indians continued to rely on wild foods, but agriculture played a much larger role in their society. Corn was one of the main crops, but they also harvested beans, squash, and pumpkin which were stored in community storehouses.
Because of agriculture, the Mississippian Indians lived in large permanent settlements usually protected by a wooden palisade (a wall made of tall posts) and a moat (a wide ditch) outside the palisade.
Permanent houses were built out of wood and clay or waddle and daub.
Indian culture reached a high point during the Mississippian period. A new social and political organization developed - the chiefdom. They built mounds for burial chambers and had a high artistic level on pottery and other utensils. When Europeans came in contact with the Indians, their culture changed because of disease and different weapons. The Creek and
Cherokee tribes came from this culture.