The Middle to Late Woodland Transition in the Lower/Middle Delaware Valley

Abstract

The transition between Middle and Late Woodland cultures is a gradual one in terms of changes in adaptations. A stylistic/typological boundary between the periods can be drawn sometime between A.D. 700 and A.D. 900 and involves the persistent use (after this date) of triangular projectile points and the manufacture and use of a suite of ceramic types different from those of earlier times. Alterations of adaptive strategies, as reflected in settlement patterns, do not seem to appear until later, ca. A.D. 1200–1300. The most dramatic change is seen in lowland aspects of settlement patterns. Large group settlements of the Middle Woodland period (and presumably the early Late Woodland period), oriented around portions of fresh water tidal marshes, shift to broad floodplain settings sometime during the Late Woodland period. This article provides detail on the noted changes and similarities at the Middle to Late Woodland transition. Hypotheses dealing with explanations for these changes are also explored.