Time Traveling Table

Estimated Population

• The population in what is now the U.S. was small, possibly around 100,000 to 200,000 people. This estimate varies widely due to the limited archaeological evidence. Populations were highly dispersed and concentrated in resource-rich areas.

Diet (Staple Foods and Drinks)

1. Foods:
   • Hunted Game: Large animals like mammoths and mastodons, which had been crucial to Paleo-Indian diets, were becoming extinct. This forced people to adapt by diversifying their food sources. Diets focused on smaller game such as deer, rabbits, and turkeys.
   • Fish and Shellfish: Waterside communities relied heavily on fish and shellfish.
   • Wild Plants: Nuts (e.g., acorns, hickory nuts), seeds, roots, berries, and wild grains formed a significant portion of the diet.
   • Early Agriculture: Groups in some areas may have begun domesticating squash and sunflowers, though agriculture was still in its infancy.
   • Seasonal Availability: Diets varied with the seasons. In spring and summer, plant foods and fish were abundant, while fall was a time to gather nuts and hunt. Winter diets relied more on stored foods and preserved meat.
2. Drinks:
   • Water was the primary drink. There were no fermented or processed beverages.

Clothing

• Materials: Animal hides and furs were the primary materials for clothing. They were sewn together with sinew using bone needles.
• Styles: Clothing was functional and adapted to the climate. People in colder regions used layered furs, while those in warmer areas wore minimal clothing.

Housing

• Shelters: Housing was temporary and made from locally available materials:
  • Nomadic Groups: Portable shelters like lean-tos or small tents made of animal hides and wooden frames that could be easily dismantled and moved.
  • Sedentary Groups: Semi-permanent structures such as pit houses (dug partially into the ground and covered with wood and brush).
• Community Layout: Groups typically lived in small bands of 20-50 people.

Health Outlook

1. Childhood Survival:
   • Child mortality rates were high, with only 40-50% of children surviving to adulthood.
   • Causes of death included malnutrition, infections, accidents, and predators.
2. Life Expectancy:
   • If someone survived childhood, they might live to their late 30s or early 40s, though some could live into their 50s or beyond.
3. Healthcare and Medicine:
   • Medicine was based on herbal remedies and spiritual practices performed by shamans.
   • There was no formalized healthcare; injuries and diseases were often fatal.

Social Structures

• Kinship Groups: Society was organized into small, kin-based groups, consisting of about 20-50 individuals.
• Leadership: Social organization was likely egalitarian, with decisions made collectively. Leadership roles were likely informal and based on skills and experience.
• Monogamy and Family Life:
  • Relationships were often monogamous, though polygamy might have occurred in some groups.
  • People formed committed relationships and had children young, possibly around the age of 15-20.
  • Families were large due to high child mortality; women might have had 5-6 children, though many did not survive.
• Trade and Interaction: Bands interacted and traded with neighboring groups, exchanging goods like tools, raw materials, and food resources.

Religion and Faith

• Spiritual Beliefs: Animism was common, with a belief in spirits inhabiting animals, plants, and natural phenomena.
• Rituals: People conducted rituals to ensure successful hunts or harvests.
• Burials: Early forms of ceremonial burials suggest a belief in an afterlife.

Art and Language

1. Art:
   • Art was practical and spiritual, including cave paintings, carvings, and body decoration.
   • Jewelry made from shells, bones, and stones was common.
2. Language and Writing:
   • People had spoken languages but no formal writing systems. Communication was oral and passed down through generations.

Music

In 8,000 BC, music would have been deeply connected to daily life, ceremonies, and storytelling, using simple, handmade instruments crafted from natural materials. Here’s what might have been available:

Instruments

1. Flutes and Pipes:
   • Made from hollowed-out bird bones, reeds, or wood.
   • Used for melodic tunes during rituals, storytelling, or leisure.
2. Drums and Percussion:
   • Animal hides stretched over wooden frames or hollow logs.
   • Played with hands or sticks for rhythm in dances, celebrations, and ceremonies.
3. Rattles and Shakers:
   • Made from gourds filled with seeds, pebbles, or dried beans.
   • Used in ritualistic settings or to accompany dancing.
4. Horns and Trumpets:
   • Made from hollowed animal horns or conch shells.
   • Used for signaling or ceremonial purposes.

How the Music Might Sound

The music would be raw, rhythmic, and repetitive, closely mimicking the sounds of nature—wind, water, animal calls, and the crackle of fire. It would rely heavily on layered percussion, simple melodies, and communal participation (chanting, clapping, or stomping). Each piece would evoke a connection to daily life, whether hunting, gathering, or sharing stories around the fire.

Major Tools

• Stone Tools: Flaked stone tools such as spear points, scrapers, and knives.
• Bows and Arrows: Some groups began using bows and arrows for hunting.
  • How incredible is that? Some people, am I right!? I don’t know if on my own the idea of a bow an arrow would have ever occurred to me. It amazes me what we are capable of and with such limited tools compared to nowadays.
• Fishing Gear: Nets, hooks, and spears.
• Cooking Tools: Mortars and pestles for grinding seeds and nuts.

Challenges

1. Environmental Changes:
   • The end of the Ice Age around 10,000 BC led to warmer climates and the disappearance of megafauna.
   • Seasonal scarcity of food and water was a constant challenge. Periods of drought or harsh winters could lead to starvation.
   • Rising sea levels forced coastal groups to relocate.
2. Daily Survival:
   • Food scarcity and competition with predators were constant threats.
   • While megafauna were dwindling, there were still dangerous predators like wolves, bears, and large cats.
3. Health Issues:
   • Injuries from hunting and infections were major causes of death.
4. Inter-group Conflict:
   • Competition for resources could lead to conflicts between groups, though it’s unclear how frequent or violent these encounters were.

Advancements Since 13,000 BC

• Technology:
  • Development of the atlatl (spear-thrower) improved hunting efficiency.
    • I didn’t think I really knew what this was, so I went and found a video. Click here if you’d like to see an atlatl in action
  • Transition from purely nomadic lifestyles to semi-sedentary living in some regions.
• Cultural Developments:
  • More sophisticated art and burial practices.
  • Early domestication of plants like squash.

Significant Events

• Climate Shifts: The Holocene climate stabilized, leading to the development of diverse ecosystems.
• Migration: Continued migration into and within the Americas shaped cultural and technological diversity.

Echoes of 8,000 BC: A Prehistoric Soundscape

Here are few options to choose from for some background music:

In the Great Outdoors Album by Allen Bruce Ray – Flute & drum music with nature sounds as a backdrop

Anything by R. Carlos Nakai – A renowned Navajo – Ute flutist

Breakfast

• Meal: Roasted wild nuts (acorns, walnuts, and hickory nuts) and dried berries (blackberries and elderberries).
• Beverage: Cool spring water

Dinner

• Appetizer: Sunflower seed and wild berry mix.

Entree:

• Roasted mastodon (or a large game substitute like venison or bison in a modern context), slow-cooked over an open flame and seasoned with wild herbs like sage and juniper berries.

Sides:

1. Root Vegetables: Fire-roasted wild tubers (e.g., wild carrots and yams) with a sprinkle of foraged herbs.
2. Acorn Flatbread: Flatbread made by leaching acorn flour to remove bitterness, mixed with water, and baked on a hot stone.

Dessert:

• Apples baked over an open flame drizzled with maple syrup

Beverage:

• Fresh spring water

Breakfast

• Meal: Roasted wild nuts (acorns, walnuts, and hickory nuts) and dried berries (blackberries and elderberries).
• Beverage: Cool spring water flavored with a sprig of wild mint.

Dinner

• Appetizer: Sunflower seed and wild berry mix.

Entree:

• Roasted mastodon (Obviously there is no mastodon available, so I went with beef), slow-cooked over an open flame and seasoned sage

Sides:

1. Root Vegetables: Sautéed vegetables. I chose carrots and yams and seasoned with sage and green onions.
2. Acorn Flatbread: Flatbread made by leaching acorn flour to remove bitterness, mixed with water, and baked on a hot stone.
   • Make sure you click the link above to check out my rant on this specific catastrophe.

Dessert:

• Baked apples drizzled with maple syrup

Beverage:

• Fresh spring water with a hint of birch sap for natural sweetness.