Evolution And History

Neolithic Culture in the Americas 247

Sometimes Neolithic villagers organized to carry out impressive communal works. Shown here is Stonehenge,
the famous ceremonial and astronomical center in England, which dates back about 4,500 years. Used as a
burial ground long before the massive stone circle was constructed, Stonehenge reflects the builders’ under-
standing of the forces of nature and their impact on food production. For instance, the opening of the stone
circles aligns precisely so that the sunlight passes through with the sunrise of the summer solstice and with
the sunset of the winter solstice. This careful alignment indicates that the people of the Neolithic were paying
close attention to the movements of the sun and the growing cycle of the seasons.

© John Kerkhoven

Neolithic Social Structure

Evidence of the economic and technological developments
listed thus far has enabled archaeologists to make some in-
ferences about the organization of Neolithic societies. For
example, archaeological evidence reveals little in the way of
a centrally organized and directed religious life, and burial
sites exhibit no social differentiation. Early Neolithic graves
tend not to be covered by stone slabs and rarely included
elaborate objects. Burial practices tend to apply equally to
all members of a community.
The small size of most villages and the
absence of elaborate buildings sug-
gest that the inhabitants knew
one another very well and
were even related; most of
their relationships were
probably highly personal
ones, with equal emo-
tional significance. Still,
Neolithic people some-
times organized to carry
out impressive communal
works preserved in the ar-
chaeological record, such
as the site of Stonehenge
in England.
From all the evidence, it seems that Neolithic societies
were relatively egalitarian with minimal division of labor,

but they did develop some new and more specialized so-

cial roles. Villages appear to have been made up of sev-

eral households, each providing for most of its own needs.

The organizational needs of society beyond the household

level were probably met by kinship groups.

Neolithic Culture

in the Americas

In the Americas the shape and timing of the Neolithic

revolution differed compared to other parts of the world.

For example, Neolithic agricultural villages were com-

mon in Southwest Asia between 8,000 and 9,000 years

ago, but similar villages did not appear in the Americas

until about 4,500 years ago, in Mesoamerica (the region

encompassing central and southern Mexico and north-

ern Central America) and the Andean highlands. More-

over, pottery, which developed in Southwest Asia shortly

after plant and animal domestication, did not emerge in

the Americas until much later. The potter’s wheel was

Atlantic

Ocean

North

Sea

Stonehenge

ENGLAND

FRANCE

SCOTLAND

IRELAND

NORTHERN

IRELAND

Mesoamerica The region encompassing central and southern

Mexico and northern Central America.