Wesley R. Hurt

Comparative Study of the Preceramic Occupations on North America

IN VIEW OF THE present turmoil in North American archaeology caused by the continuing release of radiocarbon dates, it is most difficult to maintain an understanding of the preceramic occupations. What seems like a good guess today is tomorrow relegated to the realm of unwarranted speculation. The continual excavation of preceramic sites in North America and the constant revision in geological and climatological theories also force us to be cautious in making interpretations and to be willing to change any of them. Yet the evidence now available for reconstructing the preceramic traditions in some instances appears to be sufficient and reliable enough to justify certain interpretations, even though reservations must be kept in mind. In particular the relative chronology of several cultural complexes is slowly taking form. It is most tempting to revise our North American cultural chronology on the basis of radiocarbon dates alone. If this is done, many of our currently accepted interpretations based only on archaeological evidence must be changed. One such problem is handled by Griffin in his discussion of the Adena and Hopewell radiocarbon dates, which indicate Adena in certain areas is younger than Hopewell, the reverse of the generally accepted picture (Griffin, 1951). However, the possibilities of contamination, incorrect correlations with geologic formations and climatic phases, and the probable error involved in the present radiocarbon analysis demand caution in accepting the dates at face value (Johnson, Rainey, Collier, and Flint, 1951; Bliss, 1952). Nevertheless, several dates agree closely with