North Carolina Archaeological Time
The Woodland and Mississippian Periods in North Carolina
Coastal Woodland || Piedmont Tradition Early/Middle Woodland || Piedmont Tradition Late Woodland || Southern Piedmont Late Woodland || Appalachian Summit Woodland || South Appalachian Mississippian
The Woodland Period in the Piedmont
The Piedmont Village Tradition - The Early Woodland and Middle Woodland Periods (1000 B.C. - A.D. 800)
Badin Phase (ca. 500 B.C.?)
At the Doerschuk site in Stanly County, the Badin ceramic series was found in a soil zone overlying the Late Archaic Savannah River level. Badin vessels, well-made and tempered with sand, were simple in form, consisting of straight-sided jars with conical bottoms. Vessels were stamped with cord-wrapped and fabric-wrapped paddles. Badin ceramics appear to be related to the Early Woodland Deep Creek wares of North Carolina's coastal region.
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Badin Fabric-Marked (bottom) and Badin Cord-Marked (top) potsherds from the Doerschuk site |
In addition to the abrupt introduction of ceramics, an entirely different form of projectile point was thought to be associated with the Badin Phase. Crudely flaked, triangular "Badin" points represent quite a departure from the large, stemmed spear points of the Savannah River phase.
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Badin Crude Triangular projectile points from the Doerschuk site. |
Based primarily on radiocarbon dates for the succeeding Yadkin phase, archaeologists think that the Badin phase must date to around 500 B.C. One thing that is surprising in the North Carolina Peidmont is the small number of Badin and Yadkin phase sites compared to the relatively large number of Late Archaic Savannah River phase sites.
Otherwise, we know very little about aboriginal life styles during the Badin Phase. Probably very little changed from the Late Archaic period except for the gradual incorporation of the bow and arrow and ceramic containers. Technology was still primarily adapted to a hunting-and-gathering way of life.
