More CulturesThe Late Archaic Period of the Mid-Atlantic is referred to as Savannah River Archaic. The artifacts of this area do not necessarily represent a single culture phase but do possess a general similarity to other Archaic Traditions of the Eastern Seaboard and inland regions to the west. The similarity is noteworthy in bannerstones and prismoidal atlatl weights, grooved, polished axes, and large stemmed or notched projectile points. Fiber-tempered pottery has not been found north of the Carolina Piedmont region from the Archaic, but tub-like steatite vessels seem to have been used. Pottery of a Woodland Tradition derivation seems to have appeared about 1000 B.C. The Savannah River Period seems to have built upon a long Archaic Tradition starting as early as 5,000 B.C. during the Stanley Phase. This was followed by characteristic artifacts of polished stone during the Morrow Mountain and Guilford Phases of the Middle Archaic Period up to about 3,000 B.C. The projectile points of the Middle Archaic are reminiscent of Southwestern Desert styles of two to three millennia earlier. The Halifax Phase immediately proceeds the Savannah River Phase and shows similarity to Northeastern Archaic styles. The Savannah River Phase is characteristic of the Savannah River Drainage and Georgia. Much of the Mid-Atlantic Archaic chronology is owed to J.L. Coe who worked extensively in the Carolina Piedmont area during the 1950's and 1960's.
From: Willey, Gordon R. An Introduction to American Archaeology. Englewood Cliffs New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1966. Pg. 258-260