Too Little, Too Late? The Radiocarbon Chronology of Alaska and the Peopling of the New World

2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 595-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. Bever
Keyword(s):  
Native Americans ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
New World ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Point Of Entry ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology

Alaska is commonly viewed as a gateway between the Old and New Worlds, and as such, figures prominently in most models of the peopling of the New World. With a growing number of archaeological sites dating to the terminal Pleistocene, Alaska might be expected to provide direct evidence bearing on the colonization of the Americas. Based on 27 site components with 114 radiocarbon dates, this paper discusses the archaeological record of late Pleistocene Alaska, organized around the characteristics and chronology of three complexes: the microblade-bearing Denali complex, the Nenana complex, and the Mesa complex. This paper shows that the archaeological record of late Pleistocene Alaska is quite diverse, and not lacking in controversy and conflicting interpretations. In addition, this period of archaeological diversity coincides with the Younger Dryas climatic event. However, none of the reliably dated sites is older than the earliest evidence of human occupation further south in the Americas. Despite this, evidence from DNA studies points strongly to a north-central Asian homeland for Native Americans, upholding Alaska as the point of entry into the New World. Suggestions are offered, then, as to why the Alaskan record remains silent about the initial peopling of the New World.

Late Pleistocene Human Friction Skin Prints from Pendejo Cave, New Mexico

1996 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Chrisman ◽  
Richard S. MacNeish ◽  
Jamshed Mavalwala ◽  
Howard Savage
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
New World ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
Careful Analysis ◽  
Human Origin ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Human Construction ◽  
Botanical Remains

In the excavation of Pendejo Cave (FB 9366) near Orogrande, New Mexico, 16 friction skin imprints were found in five stratified zones on clay nodules, baked at over 120°C. After careful analysis, expert dermatoglyphologists determined that these imprints had positive primate characteristics. The imprints are probably of human origin, since no other primates are known to have existed in prehistoric New Mexico. Eight of the imprints occurred in three well-dated zones falling in the late Pleistocene. These zones have direct radiocarbon dates between 12,000 and 37,000 B.P. In addition to their association with radiocarbon determinations, the prints come from three of 24 stratified zones, intensively studied by geologists and pedologists, that are dated in sequence by 34 other radiocarbon determinations acquired from four different laboratories. The imprints are associated with a column of over 35,000 paleontological specimens and more than 15,000 botanical remains. These specimens indicate Pleistocene changes and supply evidence of human transportation and modification of various materials. The prints are also associated with artifacts, ecofacts, features of human construction, and human remains. The imprint specimens therefore provide evidence of Pleistocene human occupation in the New World.

Radiocarbon chronology of terminal Pleistocene to middle Holocene human occupation in the Middle Cauca Valley, Colombia

2015 ◽  
Vol 363 ◽  
pp. 43-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Dickau ◽  
Francisco Javier Aceituno ◽  
Nicolás Loaiza ◽  
Carlos López ◽  
Martha Cano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Occupation ◽  
Middle Holocene ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology

scholarly journals Radiocaron Dates and Archaeology of the Late Pleistocene in the Japanese Islands

Radiocarbon ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 477-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Ono ◽  
Hiroyuki Sato ◽  
Takashi Tsutsumi ◽  
Yuichiro Kudo
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
New World ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Early Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Strongly Connected ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology ◽  
Japanese Islands ◽  
Late Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Early Upper

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.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon, Soil, and Artifact Chronologies for An Early Southern Oregon Coastal Site

Radiocarbon ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Hall ◽  
Loren G Davis ◽  
Samuel Willis ◽  
Matthew Fillmore
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Texture Classification ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Particle Size Analysis ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Size Analysis ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Middle Holocene ◽  
History Of

Radiocarbon dates together with geoarchaeological, soil, and lithic analyses are presented to describe archaeological site 35-CS-9 in Bandon Ocean Wayside State Park, Oregon, northwestern USA. One of the few Oregon middle-Holocene coastal sites that includes sediments and artifacts dating to the early Holocene and possibly to the late Pleistocene, it was recorded in 1951 and surface surveyed by archaeologists in 1975, 1986, and 1991, but its depth and antiquity were not tested. In February 2002, we studied the site's stratigraphy and sediments and described 8 strata from the aeolian surface to bedrock at 350 cm depth. Soil samples taken from a cut bank for texture classification, particle size analysis, pH, carbon content, and chemical analysis suggested that the site represented a complete history of Holocene deposits. Excavation of 2 test units in August 2002 uncovered substantial lithic and charcoal remains that confirm a protracted middle-Holocene occupation and suggest that human occupation began in the early Holocene. Charcoal recovered at 235–245 cm dated to 11,000 14C BP, and the deepest lithic artifact was recovered in a level at 215–225 cm. Whether the human occupation was continuous throughout the Holocene, and whether it began in the early Holocene or in the late Pleistocene, can only be determined with further excavations.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon Chronology of the Late Pleistocene–Holocene Paleogeographic Events in Lake Baikal Region (Siberia)

Radiocarbon ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 745-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey K Krivonogov ◽  
Hikaru Takahara ◽  
Yaroslav V Kuzmin ◽  
Lyobov A Orlova ◽  
A J Timothy Jull ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Lake Baikal ◽  
Baikal Region ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Vegetation Changes ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Lake Baikal Region ◽  
Cold Events ◽  
Late Glacial And Holocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology

New radiocarbon dates obtained from Late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits of the southern, eastern, and northern shores of Lake Baikal in 1995–2001 are presented, and the most important results of paleoenvironmental studies based on C data are discussed. The following paleogeographic events were verified with the help of C dating: 1) first Late Pleistocene glaciation (Early Zyryan); 2) Middle Zyryan interstadial; 3) loess formation during the Late Zyryan (Sartan) deglaciation; 4) warm and cold events in the Late Glacial; and 5) vegetation changes and forest successions during the Late Glacial and Holocene.

The Meadowcroft Rockshelter Radiocarbon Chronology 1975-1990

1990 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 348-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Adovasio ◽  
J. Donahue ◽  
R. Stuckenrath
Keyword(s):  
Native Americans ◽  
Mass Spectroscopy ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Oxford University ◽  
Southwestern Pennsylvania ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology ◽  
Ams Dates

Ever since the publication of the first of more than 50 internally consistent radiocarbon dates from Meadowcroft Rockshelter (36 WH297), controversy has been generated by frequent assertions that the dates older than 11,000 B.C. have suffered particulate or nonparticulate contamination. Data bearing on these assertions are assessed in the light of accelerator mass spectroscopy (AMS) dates provided by Oxford University. The weight of all data taken together suggests that this site still represents the best-dated evidence for the presence of human beings south of the glacial front in the Americas. That evidence indicates that Native Americans were present in southwestern Pennsylvania by 14,000–14,500 years ago.

scholarly journals Sea level, paleogeography, and archeology on California's Northern Channel islands

2015 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Reeder-Myers ◽  
Jon M. Erlandson ◽  
Daniel R. Muhs ◽  
Torben C. Rick
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
New World ◽  
Channel Islands ◽  
Glacial Isostatic Adjustment ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Isostatic Adjustment ◽  
The World ◽  
Northern Channel Islands

Sea-level rise during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene inundated nearshore areas in many parts of the world, producing drastic changes in local ecosystems and obscuring significant portions of the archeological record. Although global forces are at play, the effects of sea-level rise are highly localized due to variability in glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) effects. Interpretations of coastal paleoecology and archeology require reliable estimates of ancient shorelines that account for GIA effects. Here we build on previous models for California's Northern Channel Islands, producing more accurate late Pleistocene and Holocene paleogeographic reconstructions adjusted for regional GIA variability. This region has contributed significantly to our understanding of early New World coastal foragers. Sea level that was about 80-85 m lower than present at the time of the first known human occupation brought about a landscape and ecology substantially different than today. During the late Pleistocene, large tracts of coastal lowlands were exposed, while a colder, wetter climate and fluctuating marine conditions interacted with rapidly evolving littoral environments. At the close of the Pleistocene and start of the Holocene, people in coastal California faced shrinking land, intertidal, and subtidal zones, with important implications for resource availability and distribution.

A late pleistocene human presence at Huaca Prieta, Peru, and early Pacific Coastal adaptations

2012 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 418-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom D. Dillehay ◽  
Duccio Bonavia ◽  
Steve L. Goodbred ◽  
Mario Pino ◽  
Victor Vásquez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Coastal Environments ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Northern Peru ◽  
Coastal Adaptations ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Early Human

Archaeological excavations in deep pre-mound levels at Huaca Prieta in northern Peru have yielded new evidence of late Pleistocene cultural deposits that shed insights into the early human occupation of the Pacific coast of South America. Radiocarbon dates place this occupation between ~ 14,200 and 13,300 cal yr BP. The cultural evidence shares certain basic technological and subsistence traits, including maritime resources and simple flake tools, with previously discovered late Pleistocene sites along the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile. The results help to expand our knowledge of early maritime societies and human adaption to changing coastal environments.

Comments on the Meadowcroft Rockshelter Radiocarbon Chronology and the Recognition of Coal Contaminants

1992 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 321-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth B. Tankersley ◽  
Cheryl Ann Munson
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Comparative Data ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Carbon Contamination ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology ◽  
Important Site

Early 14C dates from Meadowcroft Rockshelter have engendered debate on the antiquity of human occupation in North America. Although the investigators of this important site conclude that particulate and nonparticulate contamination have not affected the radiocarbon dates, several points of confusion remain in regard to the question of coal contamination. We clarify these issues, provide comparative data from other sites, and recommend specific tests that are necessary to negate or support the issue of "dead carbon" contamination of radiocarbon samples.

An Analysis of the Chronology of Late Pleistocene Mammalian Extinctions in North America

1987 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald K. Grayson
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology ◽  
Population Numbers

AbstractSome 35 genera of mammals became extinct in North America as the Pleistocene came to an end. Current attempts to explain those extinctions generally assume that all of the losses took place between 12,000 and 10,000 yr B.P., even though 13 of the 35 genera lack radiocarbon dates of reasonable validity that would place them in this 2000-yr period. Analyses of the structure of the radiocarbon chronology available for the extinct taxa suggest that some may lack terminal Wisconsin dates simply because they are so poorly represented in the paleontological record. These analyses also suggest, however, that the population numbers of many genera that became extinct toward the end of the Pleistocene may have significantly dwindled by 12,000 yr B.P., and that many of the genera that have yet to be dated to terminal Wisconsin times may not have survived beyond 12,000 yr B.P. If this is the case, current explanations of the extinctions are in need of extensive modification.

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