The Eastern Woodlands area of North America was the setting for distinctive cultural developments during the time period from c. 12,000 years ago until European contact 400 to 500 years ago. This course will examine these developments through application of the principles of scientific archaeology, using the Great Lakes region and southern Ontario as specific examples. Topics covered will include earliest inhabitants, hunter-gatherer-fisher lifeways, the origins of food production, development of village-dwelling tribal communities, and first contact with Europeans.