NYSAA Bulletin No. 52 — Archaic Sites: Croton Point & Dogan Point — Passage 25 (part 2)

[Various (1971)] This reviewer would certainly agree with this position when it can be shown that these assemblages are distinctive and lack only proper dating. Would we deny the existence of dinosaurs if there were no dates? This has been done by some in archeology with the result that many important discoveries have been ignored or improperly identified. The author takes particular note of the peoples who had spread out over the land by 10,000 years ago. At this time Brennan believes that many of these people were contemporaries of the big-game Paleo-hunters but they lived by a much different set of rules. These people, who he calls "usufructians" or "users of the fruits," were able to utilize all the food resources of a region and consequently they developed new tool assemblages to meet their problems during the next several thousand years.

During this Archaic Period (10,000-3,000 years ago) many made remarkable progress and greatly increased in number. There were also many changes in social structure and beliefs as well as in the tool assemblages. This Archaic Period Brennan believes to have been "one of the most extraordinary cultural epochs in the history of the world." Most archeologists who have worked with the remains of the Archaic Period would agree with Brennan's evaluation. As he presents in American Dawn, there has been a vast amount of new information gathered on the Archaic Period in recent years.