Geographic Culture Area
Notes: the concept of the Geographic Culture Area is most relevant to the study of North American
archaeology, and is related to anthropological language groupings and associated ecoregions. These are
strongly established in the literature and a map could be provided for cataloguers. Other continents are
more flexible depending on the era of study.
Archaeology in Europe tends to focus on state-societies in the Holocene, while all of Europe composes a
single general culture area in the Palaeolithic.
North America
Arctic
Subarctic
Northwest Coast
Columbia Plateau
Great Basin
Southwest
Great Plains
Great Lakes
Eastern Woodlands
Northeastern Woodlands
Southeastern Woodlands
Mesoamerica
Caribbean
South America
Andes
Western Amazon
Central Amazon
Eastern and Southern Amazon
Gran Chaco
Southern Cone
Africa
Northern Africa
Western Africa
Eastern Africa
Central and Southern Africa
Madagascar
Field Lists: Page 1 of 13
Europe
Europe
Britain
Scandinavia
Western Europe
Eastern Europe
Mediterranean
Asia
Central Asia
Eastern Asia
Northern Asia/Siberia
Southern Asia
Southeastern Asia
Oceania
Australia
Melanesia
Micronesia
Polynesia
Field Lists: Page 2 of 13
Geographic Culture Areas of North America
Field Lists: Page 3 of 13
Period Designation
North America
Arctic/Subarctic:
Prehistoric (13 000 – 600 BP)
Early Prehistoric (Palaeoindian) (13 000 – 8000 BP)
American Palaeo-Arctic (11000 – 7000 BP)
Middle Prehistoric (8000 – 2000 BP)
Northern Archaic (9000 – 6000 BP)
Late Prehistoric (3000 – 600 BP)
Palaeoeskimo/Dorset (2200 – 1500 BP)
Thule/Inuit(1600 BP – 200 BP)
Protohistoric (Contact Period) (300 – 200 BP)
Historic (200 BP - present)
Northwest Coast:
Prehistoric (13 000 – 600 BP)
Early Prehistoric (Palaeoindian) (13 000 – 8000 BP)
American Palaeo-Arctic (11000 – 7000 BP)
Middle Prehistoric (Archaic) (8500 – 6400 BP)
Early Archaic
Middle Archaic
Late Archaic
Late Prehistoric (Pacific) (6400 – 250 BP)
Early Pacific (6400 – 3800 BP)
Middle Pacific (3800 – 1700 BP)
Late Pacific (1700 – 200 BP)
Protohistoric (Contact Period) (250 – 200 BP)
Historic (200 BP - present)
Eastern Woodlands:
Prehistoric (13 000 – 600 BP)
Early Prehistoric (Palaeoindian) (13 000 – 8000 BP)
Archaic (5000 – 3000 BP)
Early Archaic
Middle Archaic
Late Archaic
Late Prehistoric (3000 – 600 BP)
Woodland (3000 – 1000 BP)
Early Woodland (3000 – 2000 BP)
Middle Woodland (2000 – 1500 BP)
Field Lists: Page 4 of 13
Late Woodland (1500 – 1000 BP)
Mississippian (1000 BP – 400 BP)
Protohistoric (Contact Period) (500 – 400 BP)
Historic (400 BP - present)
Southwest:
Prehistoric (13 000 – 600 BP)
Early Prehistoric (Palaeoindian) (13 000 – 8000 BP)
Archaic (5000 – 3000 BP)
Early Archaic
Middle Archaic
Late Archaic
Late Prehistoric (3000 – 600 BP)
Basketmaker (3200 – 1250 BP)
Pueblo (1250 BP – contact)
Late Pueblo (700– 400 BP)
Protohistoric (Contact Period) (600 – 400 BP)
Historic (450 - present)
Mesoamerica
Prehistoric (10 500 – 600 BP)
Early Prehistoric (Palaeoindian) (10 500 – 8000 BP)
Archaic (8000-2000 BP)
Formative (Preclassic) (4000 – 2000 BP)
Early Formative (4000 – 3000 BP)
Late Formative (3000 – 2400 BP)
Middle Formative (2400 – 2000 BP)
Classic (Fluorescent) (2000 – 1000 BP)
Early Classic (2000 – 1400 BP)
Late Classic (1400 – 1200 BP)
Terminal Classic (1200 – 1000 BP)
Middle Polychrome (1300-700 BP)
Postclassic (1000 – 400 BP)
Protohistoric (Contact Period) (600 – 400 BP)
Historic (500 BP – present)
Africa
Palaeolithic (2.6 my – 10 000 BP)
Early Stone Age (2.6 BP – 200 000 BP)
Middle Stone Age (200 000 – 30 000 BP)
Late Stone Age (40 000 – 10 000 BP)
Field Lists: Page 5 of 13
Mesolithic (10 000 – 6000 BP)
Neolithic (8000 – 3000 BP)
Pre-Pottery Neolithic (Neolithic 1 & 2)
Pottery Neolithic (Neolithic 3)
Bronze Age (5300 – 3200 BP)
Iron Age (3500 – 1000 BP)
Egypt:
Predynastic Period (5464 - 3414 BCE)
Archaic Period (3414 - 3100 BCE)
Old Kingdom (3100 - 2181 BCE)
Intermediate Period I (2181 - 2125 BCE)
Middle Kingdom (2125 - 1650 BCE)
Intermediate Period II (1650 - 1550 BCE)
New Kingdom (1550 - 1069 BCE)
Late Period I (1069 - 517 BCE)
Persian Period I (517 - 425 BCE)
Late Period II (425 - 342 BCE)
Persian Period II (342 - 332 BCE)
Greek Dynasty (332 - 30 BCE)
Europe
Palaeolithic (2.6 my – 10 000 BP)
Lower Palaeolithic (Early Stone Age) (2.6 BP – 100 000 BP)
Middle Palaeolithic (Middle Stone Age) (300 000 – 50 000 BP)
Upper Paleolithic (Late Stone Age) (50 000 – 10 000 BP)
Mesolithic (10 000 – 6000 BP)
Neolithic (9000 – 3000 BP depending on region)
Pre-Pottery Neolithic (Neolithic 1 & 2)
Pottery Neolithic (Neolithic 3)
Bronze Age (4300 – 2500 BP)
Iron Age (3200 – 1600 BP)
Early Iron Age (3200 – 3000 BP)
Roman (2500 – 1600 BP)
Late Roman
Medieval (1500 – 500 BP)
Early Medieval (1500 – 1000 BP)
High Medieval/Feudal (1000 – 700 BP)
Late Medieval (700 – 500 BP)
Early Modern/Renaissance (500 – 200 BP)
Industrial/Historic/Contemporary (200 BP – Present)
Field Lists: Page 6 of 13
Asia
Palaeolithic (2.6 my – 10 000 BP)
Lower Palaeolithic (2.6 BP – 100 000 BP)
Middle Palaeolithic (300 000 – 50 000 BP)
Upper Paleolithic (50 000 – 10 000 BP)
Neolithic (10 000 – 3000 BP)
Pre-Pottery Neolithic (Neolithic 1 & 2)
Pottery Neolithic (Neolithic 3)
Ancient Era
Xia Dynasty (2100–1600 BCE)
Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BCE)
Zhou Dynasty (1045–256 BCE)
Spring and Autumn (722 – 481 BP)
Warring States (476 – 221 BP)
Imperial Era (2200 – 100 BP)
Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE)
Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)
Wei and Jin Period (220–420 CE)
Wu Hu Period
Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–589 CE)
Sui Dynasty (581–618 CE)
Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE)
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907–960 CE)
Song Dynasty and Liao, Jin, Western Xia (960–1279 CE)
Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368 CE)
Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 CE)
Qing Dynasty (1644–1911 CE)
Modern (100 BP – Present)
Field Lists: Page 7 of 13