before 1492
Pre-Columbian America (before 1492)
The pre-Columbian era refers to the period of the Americas before significant European influence. During this time, the land that would become the United States was home to diverse Indigenous civilizations with complex cultures, economies, and political systems. Archaeological evidence indicates human habitation stretching back at least 15,000 years.
60
documented events
From the mound-builders of the Mississippian culture to the cliff-dwellers of the Southwest and the confederacies of the Northeast, the pre-Columbian era encompasses thousands of years of Indigenous civilization. These societies left enduring marks on the landscape — in earthworks, agricultural systems, trade networks, and oral traditions — that continue to shape American history.
Events (60)
View all ›19,000 BC
Evidence of Human Occupation in California
California · Other
13,000 BC
First Human Habitation of California
California · Other
12,000 BC
Indigenous Settlement of Missouri Begins
Missouri · Settlement
11,500 BC
Clovis People Inhabit South Carolina
South Carolina · Other
11,000 BC
Paleo-Indians Arrive in New Jersey Region
New Jersey · Other
11,000 BC
Paleo-Indians First Settle Present-Day Arizona
Arizona · Settlement
11,000 BC
Earliest Human Occupation of Great Basin
Nevada · Other
10,900 BC
Cooper Bison Skull Found in Harper County
Oklahoma · Other
10,500 BC
Paleo-Indian Culture Appears in West Virginia
West Virginia · Other
10,000 BC
Meadowcroft Rockshelter Early Human Activity
Pennsylvania · Other
10,000 BC
First Peoples Arrive in New York
New York · Other
10,000 BC
Paleo-Indians Inhabit Maryland
Maryland · Other
10,000 BC
Abenaki Peoples Inhabit New Hampshire Region
New Hampshire · Other
10,000 BC
Paleo-Indians Settle Arizona
Arizona · Settlement
10,000 BC
Earliest Human Habitation of Utah
Utah · Other
9,500 BC
Earliest Human Occupation of Kentucky
Kentucky · Other
9,000 BC
Clovis Culture Human Occupation of New Mexico
New Mexico · Other
8,500 BC
Champlain Sea Formation
Vermont · Other
8,000 BC
Hardaway Site Early Human Settlement
North Carolina · Other
8,000 BC
Earliest Human Settlement at Hardaway Site
North Carolina · Settlement
5,677 BC
Mount Mazama Volcanic Eruption
Oregon · Other
3,800 BC
Stallings Island Pottery Culture Develops
South Carolina · Other
3,500 BC
Watson Brake Mound Complex Construction
Louisiana · Other
3,400 BC
Watson Brake Mound Complex Construction
Louisiana · Other
3,000 BC
Red Paint People Inhabit Maine
Maine · Other
1,800 BC
Shift from Hunter-Gatherer to Agriculture
Kentucky · Other
1,500 BC
Chamorro Arrival in Mariana Islands
GU · Settlement
1,500 BC
Poverty Point Culture Peak
Louisiana · Other
1,500 BC
First Settlement of Mariana Islands
GU · Settlement
1,000 BC
Introduction of Pottery in Kentucky
Kentucky · Other
450 BC
Construction of Earthen Burial Mounds Begins
Kentucky · Other
200 BC
Maize Cultivation Migrates to Eastern United States
Kentucky · Other
200 BC
Hopewell Culture Obsidian Trade from Yellowstone
Wyoming · Other
200 BC
Hopewell Culture First Permanent Settlements
Indiana · Settlement
600
Fremont Culture in Utah
Utah · Other
900
Polynesian Settlement of Hawaiian Islands
Hawaii · Settlement
900
Emergence of Mississippian Culture in Kentucky
Kentucky · Other
940
First Polynesian Settlement of Hawaiian Islands
Hawaii · Settlement
1000
Native Pennsylvania Agriculture Development
Pennsylvania · Other
1000
Mississippian Culture Rises at Cahokia and St. Louis
Missouri · Other
1000
Wickliffe Mounds Settlement Period
Kentucky · Settlement
1050
Angel Mounds Polity Founded
Indiana · Founding
1050
Angel Chiefdom Founded
Kentucky · Founding
1050
Pueblo Bonito Construction at Chaco Canyon
New Mexico · Other
1050
Cahokia Mississippian Urban Center Flourishes
Illinois · Other
1100
Mississippian Culture Rise in Ohio River Valley
Indiana · Other
1100
Mill Creek Culture Flourishes in Northwest Iowa
Iowa · Other
1100
Town Creek Indian Mound Occupation
North Carolina · Settlement
1200
Plaquemine Culture Development
Louisiana · Other
1200
Paʻao Brings New Social Order to Hawaii
Hawaii · Other
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About the Pre-Columbian America
What was the Pre-Columbian America?
The pre-Columbian era refers to the period of the Americas before significant European influence. During this time, the land that would become the United States was home to diverse Indigenous civilizations with complex cultures, economies, and political systems. Archaeological evidence indicates human habitation stretching back at least 15,000 years.
When was the Pre-Columbian America?
The Pre-Columbian America covers before 1492.
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