Definition: Full domestic agriculture in the North American continent has its roots in Mexico. Corn (Zea mays) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) were both domesticated there, corn perhaps as long ago as 10,000 years. Eventually, these crops turned up in North American garden plots, depending on which date you believe in which location you are talking about, but somewhere around 3000 years before the present.
The Eastern Agricultural Complex refers to the whole range of plants that were selectively tended by Native Americans in eastern North American and the American midwest before corn and beans reached there, like sumpweed (Iva annua), goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), little barley (Hordeum pusillum), erect knotweek (Polygonum erectum) and maygrass (Phalaris caroliniana). Evidence for the collection of some of these plants goes back to about 6000-5000 years ago; their genetic modification resulting from selective collecting first appears about 4000 years ago.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
The Eastern Agricultural Complex refers to the whole range of plants that were selectively tended by Native Americans in eastern North American and the American midwest before corn and beans reached there, like sumpweed (Iva annua), goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), little barley (Hordeum pusillum), erect knotweek (Polygonum erectum) and maygrass (Phalaris caroliniana). Evidence for the collection of some of these plants goes back to about 6000-5000 years ago; their genetic modification resulting from selective collecting first appears about 4000 years ago.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
