Woodland Period Archaeology of Northern Georgia: Update 2008

The publication Woodland Period Archaeology of Northern Georgia was completed by W. Dean Wood and William R. Bowen in 1995. As an element of the Georgia Archaeological Research Design, the Wood and Bowen (1995) synthesis provided an excellent summary of previous research, current chronologies and interpretations, and key issues in Woodland studies in northern Georgia. The present document updates the 1995 synthesis by addressing new data and new ideas that have developed over the past 13 years. The period from 1995 to 2008 has seen many major projects, including: large-tract surveys that have provided settlement data; Phase II studies that have wrestled with what makes a Woodland site eligible or not for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP); and Phase III data recovery excavations of Woodland components. Academic research has continued with numerous professional papers and presentations expanding our understanding of Woodland themes. Finally, researchers have applied new developments in archaeological techniques to research designs studying the Woodland period yielding promising results. The 2008 Update is meant to be used in tandem with the 1995 synthesis. The former does not revisit all the information provided in the latter. Instead, the 2008 Update is designed to address what has occurred in this realm of research since the 1995 study. As demonstrated in this document, Woodland archaeology is vibrant in northern Georgia. Researchers are applying a variety of approaches, and the results from various projects have demanded revision of many interpretations. Archaeologists working in north Georgia, and the region as a whole, have widened their views on NRHP eligibility to emphasize the importance of all site types and recognized the very real threat that development pressures in northern Georgia have wrought on the Woodland archaeological record.