ic ▁fla ked " ▁stone ▁tools . ▁Stone ▁tools , ▁particularly ▁project ile ▁points ▁and ▁sc rap ers , ▁are ▁the ▁primary ▁evidence ▁of ▁the ▁earliest ▁well ▁known ▁human ▁activity ▁in ▁the ▁Amer icas . ▁Lith ic ▁reduction ▁stone ▁tools ▁are ▁used ▁by ▁arch ae olog ists ▁and ▁anth rop olog ists ▁to ▁class ify ▁cultural ▁periods . ▁ ▁Arch a ic ▁stage ▁( 8 0 0 0 ▁B CE ▁– ▁ 1 0 0 0 ▁B CE ) ▁ ▁Several ▁thousand ▁years ▁after ▁the ▁first ▁migr ations , ▁the ▁first ▁complex ▁civil izations ▁arose ▁as ▁h unter - g ather ers ▁settled ▁into ▁semi - ag ric ult ural ▁communities . ▁Ident ifiable ▁sed ent ary ▁settlement s ▁began ▁to ▁emer ge ▁in ▁the ▁so - called ▁Middle ▁Arch a ic ▁period ▁around ▁ 6 0 0 0 ▁B CE . ▁Part icular ▁arch ae ological ▁cult ures ▁can ▁be ▁identified ▁and ▁easily ▁class ified ▁throughout ▁the ▁Arch a ic ▁period . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁late ▁Arch a ic , ▁on ▁the ▁north - central ▁coast al ▁region ▁of ▁Peru , ▁a ▁complex ▁civil ization ▁arose ▁which ▁has ▁been ▁term ed ▁the ▁Norte ▁Ch ico ▁civil ization , ▁also ▁known ▁as ▁Car al - Su pe . ▁It ▁is ▁the ▁oldest ▁known ▁civil ization ▁in ▁the ▁Amer icas ▁and ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁five ▁sites ▁where ▁civil ization ▁origin ated ▁independently ▁and ▁ind igen ously ▁in ▁the ▁ancient ▁world , ▁fl our ishing ▁between ▁the ▁ 3 0 th ▁and ▁ 1 8