Marine archaic culture

Archaic Marine Culture is a North American archaeological cultural complex of the late archaic period of North American chronology that existed along the coast of Newfoundland , in the Canadian coastal provinces and in Northern New England . Marine archaic culture arose around 7000 BC. e. and existed until the 18th century. The people of this culture were hunters of marine mammals in the Arctic ; they used wooden boats for hunting. The sites of archaic marine culture are scattered over a vast territory: the southern border was the state of Maine , and the northern border was Labrador. In their settlements, long houses were found, as well as temporary (seasonal) houses, in which boats were used as the roof. They traded over long distances, as can be seen from the findings of a white breed from North Labrador south of Maine.

Archaic marine culture is one of several cultural complexes of the Archaic period of North American chronology. Previously, it was believed that the direct descendants of this culture were the Newfoundland rainforests , which disappeared in the 19th century due to diseases brought by Europeans, as well as conflicts with neighbors. However, archaeogenetic studies have shown that the inhabitants of the archaic marine culture had nothing to do with either the Eskimos or the Biotuk , who later settled their habitats as a result of changing climatic conditions ^[1] .

The marine archaic complex may also include burials of the " red ocher culture " throughout the northeastern United States. They probably represent the last stages of marine archaic culture, as they contain many artifacts of white flint, also characteristic of other monuments of marine archaic culture. This issue is currently under discussion.

If we allow the connection of the red ocher culture with the IAC, then the most famous monument of the archaic marine culture is the necropolis in Newfoundland in Port-au-Chois, where at least 100 graves are covered with red ocher. The burials contain many artifacts , including serrated bone arrows, walrus bone daggers or deer antlers; harpoons; beaded clothes; a funerary costume made of more than 200 skins of the now extinct wingless eider . These findings indicated a stratified society with trade and a certain level of social complexity (Tuck, 1976).