| People have always been interested in the | | | | these sites were near good springs at outcrops |
| question of when Native Americans first arrived in | | | | of abundant, high-quality chert, and were |
| the New World. Was it 10,000 years ago across | | | | strategically situated in relation to diverse floral |
| the Bering land bridge, or was it via small boats | | | | and faunal resources. The location of these sites, |
| from Japan, eastern Asia, and Siberia 20,000 to | | | | along with evidence from prey choice patterns |
| 35,000 years ago. Answers to these questions | | | | found across the Great Plains of North America |
| have always tended towards the Bering land | | | | argues that the first American Indians were highly |
| bridge theory, which postulated that people first | | | | sophisticated hunters and gatherers who utilized a |
| arrived in North America at the beginning of the | | | | wide variety of resources, and who had a |
| Holocene epoch (12,500-9,000 calendar years | | | | knowledge of the seasonal dynamics of their |
| before present). In the last twenty years or so, | | | | environment. |
| new archaeological and genetic evidence has | | | | More importantly in terms of the peopling of the |
| challenged this long held theory, completely | | | | New World, there are a few areas of the Gault |
| revolutionizing our understanding of when people | | | | site where excavations have revealed small |
| first arrived in the Americas. The genetic evidence | | | | numbers of artifacts in strata beneath well-defined |
| has been fairly straight forward, pushing back the | | | | layers of Clovis artifacts. It is not clear at this |
| entry of Native Americans into the Americas | | | | time whether the underlying materials are early |
| approximately 15-20 thousand years to the late | | | | and sparse Clovis manifestations or if they |
| Pleistocene. The archaeological evidence, on the | | | | represent a human presence at the site prior to |
| other hand, has been slower at revealing a human | | | | the Clovis technology time period. On the other |
| presence older than the early Holocene in North | | | | hand, this evidence, coupled with archaeological |
| America. However, newly emerging information | | | | evidence from Cactus Hill in Virginia, Meadowcroft |
| from Texas, however, is providing compelling | | | | Rockshelter in Pennsylvania, Monte Verde in Chile, |
| archaeological evidence for a late Pleistocene | | | | and several other sites, does strongly argue for a |
| (25,000-12,500 calendar years before present) | | | | late Pleistocene peopling of the New World. |
| peopling of the New World, which is bringing the | | | | For example, Monte Verde in southern Chile dates |
| archaeological evidence in line with the genetic | | | | to approximately 12,500 years ago, Meadowcroft |
| evidence. | | | | in Pennsylvania has revealed stone artifacts dating |
| One of the most important, and perhaps intriguing | | | | at least as old as 16,000 calendar years before |
| sites that have recently come to light is Gault, a | | | | present, Cactus Hill in Virginia has revealed |
| large site more than 800 meters long and 200 | | | | approximately 15,000 year old non-Clovis artifacts |
| meters across. Excavated and analyzed under the | | | | underlying a Clovis component, and burned and |
| leadership of the Texas Archaeological Research | | | | cut bones at Cueva Quebrada in Texas with |
| Laboratory at the University of Texas, Austin, | | | | wood charcoal have been dated between 16,000 |
| the site occupies the constricted head of a small | | | | and 14,800 calendar years before present. |
| stream valley where reliable springs flow and | | | | These sites offer strong archaeological evidence |
| abundant chert of extraordinary quality crops out. | | | | for a late Pleistocene peopling of the New World. |
| Clovis technology, historically thought to be the | | | | In conjunction with the genetic evidence, it is now |
| technology used by the first Native Americans, is | | | | no longer possible to argue that Native Americans |
| abundantly represented at the site, with several | | | | have only been in the Americas for slightly over |
| hundred thousand pieces of stone, bone, ivory, | | | | 10,000 years. Rather, the evidence now |
| and teeth having been recovered and dating to | | | | overwhelmingly points to a much greater time |
| the late Pleistocene/early Holocene boundary | | | | depth in the Americas by Native Americans. In |
| (12,900-12,550 calendar years before present). | | | | fact, as our understanding of the early peopling of |
| Most artifacts recovered are debris from stone | | | | the Americas becomes more scientifically |
| tool manufacturing processes, but a diverse array | | | | grounded, it appears that what Native Americans |
| of tools, along with bones of several kinds of | | | | have been claiming about their history is correct - |
| animals have also been recovered. | | | | they have been here since illo tempore (time |
| Along with the Gault site, several other Clovis | | | | immemorial). Only in this case, illo tempore |
| sites have also been found along what is known | | | | approximately translates to 20,000 years or |
| as the Balcones Ecotone in Central Texas. Each of | | | | more. |