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• The Archaic probably began later in the plains and mountains because the general drying trend at the end of the PLeistocene began later in the Plains than in the Great Basin. It is divided into Early, Middle, and Late Archaic, primarily on the basis of technological and morphological variability in projectile points. Early Archaic points are generally large and side-notched; Middle Archaic points generally are large and corner-notched, or of the stemmed, indented base Duncan-Hanna or Pinto variety; Late Archaic points are generally smaller and corner-notched. The beginning of the Archaic period is marked by the altithermal maximum (7500 to 6500 BP), a period of warmer and drier conditions (Benedict 1975b). The nearest recorded sites for this portion of the Early Archaic (7500 to 5000 BP) are in northern Wyoming (Frison 1978). Early Archaic sites which postdate the altithermal maximum exist in the Colo- • rado foothills and mountains, but none have been found in the plains (Benedict and Olson 1978). A general repop- ulation of the Central Plains apparently took place during the Middle Archaic ~OOC to 3000 BP); this repopulation is marked by the appearance of the McKean Technocomplex, a widespread complex with stemmed, indented, based projectile points. Late Archaic (post 30C0 BP) materials are also known from mountains, foothills, and plains settings. The Archaic period persisted ~in the Central Plains and in the Colorado foothills until about as late as 400 to 500 AD (Windmiller and Eddy 1975). Plains Woodland After the Archaic stage, the Plains Woodland tradition appears in the Central Plains, penetrating into the mountain passes and parks (see Table 1). This Woodland tradition is marked by the appearance of maize cultivation, pottery, • and a more sedentary Lifeway. Although Eastern Woodland peoples were sedentary, the Plains Woodland peoples remained 11