scholarly journals Comment on “Late Upper Paleolithic occupation at Cooper’s Ferry, Idaho, USA, ~16,000 years ago”

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 368 (6487) ◽  
pp. eaaz4695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sturt W. Manning

Davis et al. (Research Articles, 30 August 2019, p. 891) report human occupation at Cooper’s Ferry, Idaho, USA, ~16,000 years ago, well before Greenland Interstadial 1 (GI-1). Critical review suggests that this early date is not supported by the evidence. Human occupation might have begun in the mid-16th millennium before the present, but would have been more likely after ~15,000 years ago, coeval with GI-1.

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 368 (6487) ◽  
pp. eaaz6626 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. G. Davis ◽  
L. Becerra-Valdivia ◽  
D. B. Madsen ◽  
T. Higham

Manning builds an inappropriate Bayesian age model to assert that the initial occupation at Cooper’s Ferry began only ~15,935 ± 75 to 15,130 ± 20 cal yr B.P., suggesting that our estimation of ~16,560 to 15,280 cal yr B.P. is unsupported. However, this analysis both ignores evidence of human occupation from the earliest undated cultural deposits and reflects a misapplication of Bayesian age-modeling techniques. Consequently, his results are unreliable.


Author(s):  
I. D. Zolnikov ◽  
A. A. Anoikin ◽  
E. A. Filatov ◽  
A. V. Vybornov ◽  
A. V. Vasiliev ◽  
...  

This study focuses on the early human occupation of the arctic part of the West Siberian Plain and introduces the finds at the Paleolithic site Kushevat (Shuryshkarsky District, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug), discovered in 2020. Geological and geomorphological characteristics of the Lower Ob region are provided, the chronology of the key Middle and Late Neopleistocene sequences is assessed, and criteria underlying the search for Paleolithic sites in the area are outlined. We describe the discovery and excavations at Kushevat, its stratigraphy and its faunal remains. On the basis of correlation with neighboring key Late Neopleistocene sections with a representative series of absolute dates, the age of the site is estimated at cal 50–35 ka BP. Results of a traceological study of a possibly human-modified reindeer antler are provided. Findings at Kushevat and the available information on the early peopling of northern Eurasia suggest that the boundary of the inhabited part of that region must be shifted ~200 km to the north. The Ob, therefore, is one of the last major Siberian rivers where traces of the Early Upper Paleolithic culture have been found. The discovery of a stratified site in its lower stretch is a milestone in the Paleolithic studies in the region. A large area over which faunal remains are distributed, and the presence of lithics among the surface finds, suggest that Kushevat is a highly prospective site for future archaeological studies of the early stages in the human peopling of the region.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 477-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Ono ◽  
Hiroyuki Sato ◽  
Takashi Tsutsumi ◽  
Yuichiro Kudo

We discuss the radiocarbon chronology of Late Pleistocene archaeology in the Japanese islands. In sum, 429 samples from more than 100 archaeological sites were compiled and then divided into three periods and four stages. The Early Upper Paleolithic, characterized by Trapezoid industries, lasted during approximately 34-26 ka. The Late Upper Paleolithic period includes both the backed-blade stage and point-tool stage, the latter appearing chronologically later than the former. This stage covers ~25–15 ka. The Final Upper Paleolithic and Incipient Jomon are distinguished by the appearance of microblade industries and the emergence of pottery at the end of this period. This period covers approximately 14-12 ka. The microblade tradition, in the broadest sense, is strongly connected to the background of peopling of the New World. New data on the transitional stage from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic are also discussed in regards to three archaeological sites. Issues on the application of the 14C calibration to the whole Japanese Upper Paleolithic are critically evaluated.


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