Art of the Americas

Formative stage

Several chronologies in the archaeology of the Americas include a Formative Period or Formative stage etc. It is often sub-divided, for example into "Early", "Middle" and "Late" stages. The Formative is the third of five stages defined by Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips in their 1958 book Method and Theory in American Archaeology. Cultures of the Formative Stage are supposed to possess the technologies of pottery, weaving, and developed food production; normally they are very largely reliant on agriculture. Social organization is supposed to involve permanent towns and villages, as well as the first ceremonial centers. Ideologically, an early priestly class or theocracy is often present or in development. Sometimes also referred to as the "Pre-Classic stage", it followed the Archaic stage and was superseded by the Classic stage. The Lithic stage The Archaic stage The Formative stage The Classic stage The Post-Classic stage The dates, and the characteristics of the period called "Formative" vary considerably between different parts of the Americas. The typical broad use of the terms is as follows below.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Durango (city)
• ▸3C 120
• ▸Indigenous languages of the Americas

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