Peopling of the Americas Jumps Back in Time

Scientists used to be confident that the First Americans arrived from northeast Asia roughly 13,000 years ago, after trudging across the Bering land bridge and slowly meandering southward careful to dodge the vast ice sheets. Theories change, however, and this one now seems threatened by the DELETE key.

The “Beringia” theory drew support from the findings named for an archaeological site near Clovis, New Mexico. Archaeologists have long held that makers of finely crafted stone tools called Clovis points were the Americas’ earliest settlers. For years, though, archaeological research has been turning up artifacts that are much older than the oldest Clovis points—some by at least 1,000 years—indicating that people have been in the Americas for a much longer time. This earlier date also means that the first people probably did not get to the Americas via a land bridge; it would have been blocked by ice at the time. More likely, some of them arrived from Asia by water, perhaps hugging the coastline in small boats.

Now a site on Buttermilk Creek in Central Texas has produced artifacts that predate the oldest Clovis points by about two millennia. One of the researchers called it “the oldest credible archaeological site in North America.” Archaeologists used a new technique for determining the artifacts’ age—optically stimulated luminescence, which measures light energy trapped in minerals to reveal how long ago they were last exposed to sunlight. These ancient tools are certainly shining new light on the story of America’s settlement.

Related Links

  • Spear Points Found in Texas Dial Back Arrival of Humans in America
    This New York Times article provides detail about the Buttermilk Creek site.
    (Source: New York Times, March 24, 2011)
  • Stone Tools “Demand New American Story”
    This story by the BBC recounts the new archaeological findings; includes photos of the Buttermilk Creek artifacts.
    (Source: BBC News, March 24, 2011)
  • Clovis Reconsidered
    This Web site from the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin provides more background on the Clovis question; includes photos of spearpoints, incised stones, and the land surrounding the Gault site.
    (Source: Texas Beyond History (University of Texas); accessed April 7, 2011)
  • Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL)
    This Web site presents a detailed explanation of optically stimulated luminescence, the dating technique used at the Gault site.
    (Source: April University of Illinois at Chicago; accessed April 7, 2011)

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