|
 There is evidence that there was human habitation in the Oconee Valley at least 12,000 years ago. University of South Carolina archaeologist AI Goodyear has been digging at the Topper site on the Savannah River for several years. "Topper is the oldest radiocarbon dated site in North America," Goodyear said in 2004. Radiocarbon dates on burnt plant remains at Topper were
about 50,000 years old and were found below tools dated at about 16,000 years.
To date approximately 100
Paleoindian sites have been identified in the Oconee River watershed.
In
the Early Archaic period small groups began to meet at major stream confluences and one
archaeologist has suggested that likely meeting points were at Long Shoals and further
north near Barnett Shoals. Moving on to the other periods, SAS stated that, "Hunting and
gathering remains the primary subsistence mode throughout the Archaic period with a
gradual shift toward a reduction in mobility range. A broadening of the subsistence base
and the probable introduction of some cultigens (cultivated plants) led to the transition to
the Late Archaic period.
The Woodland period in the Southeast is characterized by
extensive use of ceramics, increased reliance on agriculture, and increased ceremonialism
as shown by the construction of burial mounds and the development of permanently
occupied villages.
 The Mississippian period represents the height of Native American
cultural complexity. The culture is characterized by increased political and ceremonial
sophistication, reflecting a ranked or hierarchical society and the emergence of an elite
class, as evidenced by preferential treatment of the dead. Agricultural production
intensified and it is thought that a dependence on corn production as a primary food source
developed."
|
