Eastern Agricultural Complex

**Origin and Development of the Eastern Agricultural Complex:**
– Term popularized by anthropologist Ralph Linton
– Contributions by ethnobotanists Volney H. Jones and Melvin R. Gilmore
– Promotion by George Quimby and proposal by Guy Gibbons and Kenneth Ames
– Agriculture in Eastern Woodlands predating Mexico’s crop import
– Transition from wild plant collection to selective breeding and early agricultural sites

**Cultivated Species in the Eastern Agricultural Complex:**
– Earliest cultivated plants like bottle gourd and squash
– Oil-rich edible seeds of sunflower and sumpweed
– Starches from erect knotweed and goosefoot seeds
– Domestication of Cucurbita argyrosperma
– Evidence of larger seeds and easier extraction through selective breeding

**Transition to Maize-Based Economy:**
– Introduction of maize around 200 BCE leading to agricultural shift
– Decline of local indigenous plants post-maize introduction
– Transition of Native Americans to an agricultural lifestyle
– Staple crops of maize, beans, and squash
– Return of domesticated plants to wild forms

**Impact on Native American Societies:**
– Influence on social structure and settlement patterns
– Increased sedentism due to agriculture
– Development of trade networks for surplus agricultural products
– Shift in religious beliefs and practices linked to agriculture
– Population growth and societal complexity due to agricultural surplus

**Domestication and Maize Introduction:**
– Cultivation of plants like marshelder and chenopods
– Characteristics of domesticated plants compared to wild ones
– Introduction of maize by Mesoamericans and its genetic adaptation
– Gradual replacement of indigenous crops by maize
– Related concepts like the Three Sisters planting technique and Native American cuisine