3. WHAT IS AN ARCHEOLOGIST?
Scientist who study the early civilizations by
analyzing the artifacts.
*Examples:
Egyptian Pyramids
Macchu Picchu-Peru
Mesa Verde -Colorado
4. WHO WERE SOME EARLY NATIVE AMERICANS?
* Cliff Dwellers -Southwest- (dessert)
Mound Builders -Midwest and Southeast (
Mississippi River into the Appalachian Mts.)
Flourished between 500-1500
Disappeared when European explorers first made
contact.
5. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THESE
CIVILIZATIONS?
Neither group left written records
All information is based on archeological
evidence
6. Cliff Dwellers=Farming cultures -(Mesa
Verde) Colorado
a. Hokokam
b. Anasazi
c. Mogollon
Built irrigation canals to carry water to their
crops
Lived in stone houses
7. MOUND BUILDERS-WEALTHY PEOPLE
*Adena
Hopewell
Mississippian
Built large villages
Had many resources
More than 10,000 people
Burial chambers- give artifacts like pearls that
prove the people were wealthy
Miamisburg Mound (Ohio)
8. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CLIFF DWELLERS AND
MOUND BUILDERS?
* Both civilizations suddenly disappeared
1. disease- from Europeans
2. shortage of food/water- could not support the population
3. political conflicts -weakened the civilizations
(or a combination of all of these)
9. ARE THESE CIVILIZATIONS RELATED TO LATER NATIVE
AMERICAN TRIBES?
* Some oral histories do connect them
* Art and pottery show a connection
These civilizations left some of the most
impressive archeological sites in North
America
