Formative Period

E1014353

The Formative Period is a major era in pre-Columbian American history marked by the emergence of settled villages, agriculture, and early complex societies.

All labels observed (4)

Label Occurrences
Formative Period canonical 4
Early Formative period 2
Early Formative Period 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf archaeological period
cultural period
pre-Columbian era
alsoKnownAs Preclassic Period
associatedWithCulture Chavín culture
Cupisnique culture
Olmec civilization
Paracas culture
Valdivia culture
Zapotec culture
early Maya culture
associatedWithDevelopment domestication of beans and squash in many regions
early religious iconography
incipient urbanism in some centers
maize agriculture expansion
permanent village architecture
public ceremonial spaces
characterizedBy ceramic production
craft specialization
development of agriculture
early complex societies
emergence of settled villages
increasing social stratification
long-distance exchange networks
monumental architecture in some regions
endDate c. 250 CE
fieldOfStudy anthropology
archaeology
follows Archaic Period (Americas)
geographicScope Central Andes
Mesoamerica
parts of North America
parts of South America
hasKeySite Chavín de Huántar
La Venta
Monte Albán (early phases)
linked to: Monte Albán

San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán
Sechín Alto complex
Valdivia sites in coastal Ecuador
hasRegionalVariant Early Formative
Early Horizon (central Andes)
Initial Period (central Andes)
Late Formative
Middle Formative
precedes Classic Period (Mesoamerica)
Early Intermediate Period (Andes)
startDate c. 2000 BCE
usedInContextOf Andean archaeology
Mesoamerican archaeology
pre-Columbian Americas

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Garagay chronology Formative Period
Pacopampa hasArchaeologicalPeriod Formative Period
El Brujo Archaeological Complex period Formative period
linked to: Formative Period
Olmec monumental architecture timePeriod Early Formative period
linked to: Formative Period
Sechín Alto culturalPeriod Early Formative Period
linked to: Formative Period
Cerro Sechín associatedWithPeriod Formative Period
Limoncarro culturalPeriod Formative Period
Tembladera chronologicalPeriod Early Formative period
linked to: Formative Period