The Archaic period lasted 10,000 to 3,000 years. The people that lived in this period were either hunters, or gathers. This is also the longest pre-historical period. In this period the Indians invented cooking, (with fire) and most importantly, pottery. Pottery is very important to both the Indians and archaeologist. for the Indians because the pottery could hold food and water, therefor they could live longer. And the painting on the pots could tell the archaeologist a little bit about the Archaic culture.