Georgia History: Overview In many ways Georgia's history is
integrally linked to that of the rest of the South and the rest
of the nation. But as the largest state east of the Mississippi,
the youngest and southernmost of the thirteen colonies, and by
1860 the most populous southern state, Georgia is in certain
respects historically distinctive. Prehistory and European
Exploration human history of Georgia begins well before the
founding of the colony, with Native American cultures that date
back to the Paleoindian Period at the end of the Ice Age, nearly
13,000 years ago. The Clovis culture, identified by its unique
projectile points, is the earliest documented group to have
lived in present-day Georgia. The more permanent settlements of
the Late Archaic Period, including the notable population center
at Stallings Island in the Savannah River, date back to 3000
B.C. During the Woodland Period, from around 1000 B.C. to A.D.
900, Native American groups in Georgia became increasingly
sedentary, establishing vill