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Re: First Inhabitants of America's
JOHN LANGDON (LANGDON@GANDLF.UINDY.EDU)
Mon, 6 Feb 1995 17:09:22 -0500
In message "Kristen M. Beckett" writes:
> I have been researching Pre-Clovis sites in the New World recently and
> I have found that an increasing number of archaeologists are challanging
> both the date and place of entry to the New World.
> There seem to be some sites in South America which predate the
> North American Clovis boundry of 12,000 years. It seems to me that this
> would suggest that people were inhabiting the America's before 12,000
> years ago, and possibly as early as 50,000 years ago. Also, the fact that
> the earliest sites are found in South America seriously conflicts with the
> traditional Beringia entry model.
> What do all you New World archaeologists think of this? How would the
> earlier entry date effect current models? How does the earliest sites
> being represented in South America effect current thinking?
> There seems to be enough sources supporting an early entry with the
> possibility of South America as the point of entry, to suggest this might
> be something worth investigating.
> I look forward to hearing your opinions.
I am not an archaeologist, but since no one else appears to have responded to
you, I can throw in a few tidbits on a topic of interest to me. I have devoted
part of a lecture on this topic in my human evolution class on and off for 13
years. I have noted a few of the "pre-Clovis" sites come and go from the list.
For example the Old Crow site in the Yukon was redated to a more recent time and
the Pedra Furada site in Brazil was discovered. While many of the claims are
weak enough to be dismissed as probable error in the absence of supporting
evidence, at least two are more substantial: Meadowcroft and Monte Verde. These
are enough to get me to accept tentatively an occupation in this hemisphere back
to 25,000 BP. (That still leaves the Brazilian site in a "show me" category.)
There. Maybe this will generate discussion from those who know more than I.
JOHN H. LANGDON email LANGDON@GANDLF.UINDY.EDU
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY FAX (317) 788-3569
UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS PHONE (317) 788-3447
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46227
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