As the Connecticut environment changed, so did the lives, tools, and culture of the Connecticut Native Americans. The next period from 9,000 to 3,000 years ago is known as the Archaic.

So much more is known of the people living at this time because of technological advances, larger population, greater number of known sites, a greater variety and quantity of artifacts, and so many fewer years for decay to destroy the record of what happened.

While the Paleo-Indian environment was one dominated by evergreens with oases of deciduous trees, the spread of oak, hickory, and other now common deciduous trees made more areas habitable for large numbers of people. Because the food supply is more diverse, the likelihood for survival is greater for people living in deciduous forests.

The gradual advent of a new environment populated by different plant and animal species necessitated changes in the people's culture. The most obvious change was in the development of tools for felling and limbing trees, for making dugout canoes from large logs, and for roughly shaping logs. One also discerns development in fishing implements for netting, hooking, spearing, and trapping large numbers of fish.

Specialized food preparation implements were used to grind seeds and nuts. A hammerstone could have been used to break bones to extract marrow as well as to break rocks for making tools. Steatite (soapstone) bowls came into use late in the Archaic. Because such bowls conduct heat very well, they can be used for cooking directly over a fire.

In the Archaic, abundant evidence is found for the actual utilization of wild plant seeds, roots, bark, shoots, stalks, berries, and nuts. Many of the common plant species growing in gardens today as "weeds" were used by the Indians for food, (amaranth, purslane); medicine (yarrow); smoking (smartweed); beverage (goldenrod); dye (pokeweed); and raw materials for crafts (milkweed).

While it is important to know the various uses that the people had for different natural materials, archaeologists can also determine the seasons of the year a camp was occupied by the carbonized seeds in refuse pits and hearths. Many Archaic sites were seasonally occupied in a manner similar to that of the Paleo-Indian Period. But since the Archaic sites are larger and have far more implements, these sites obviously were inhabited by more people at a single time. People frequently returned to previously inhabited camps.

Archaic ceremonialism is better known from many human burials containing grave goods for use in the afterlife. The body was placed into a carefully prepared pit and covered with red ochre (fired hematite). The stone is a brilliant red and simulates blood. Frequently stone projectile points, blades, and stone pots included in the grave were broken intentionally to release their spirit to accompany the soul of the deceased.

While all of the Paleo-Indian artifacts known from Connecticut are made of stone, Archaic implements are found of stone, bone, carbonized fibers, shell, antler, and copper. Most of the raw materials were obtained locally, but copper used for knives and ornaments was received in trade from people as far away as the Great Lakes area.

The best preserved materials are from coastal sites having large quantities of clam and oyster shells. The inland sites are found near major rivers, small streams, lakes, and in uplands near soapstone outcroppings. Almost any plowed field will yield artifacts diagnostic of this period.