4.5 Trade and Exchange

4.5 Trade and Exchange

Like most human groups, the Late Archaic people traded with others for some food and supplies. The Paleoindians and Early Archaic people no doubt had trade networks, but it is in the Late Archaic era that archaeologists have found real evidence of trading. The Late Archaic cultures of Ohio "imported" copper from the western Lake Superior region and sea shells from the Gulf of Mexico and possibly the Atlantic coast. Objects made from copper and sea shell were probably valuable because they were scarce. Such objects may have been status symbols, or signs of a person's importance. Archaeologists believe that when Late Archaic people with high social status died, they were buried with symbols of their prestige such as copper beads or shell ornaments. Catalog number: A 3875 000002

Ohio History Connection

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