18,000-Year-Old Oregon Rock Shelter Is Earliest Known Site of Human Habitation in North America, According to New Discovery
Sediment layers at Rimrock Draw Rockshelter. Image credit: BLM Oregon & Washington
This discovery challenges the conventional view of when and how humans first arrived in North America. For a long time, archaeologists believed that the first humans came from Asia via a land bridge called Beringia, and then spread southward through an ice-free corridor between two massive glaciers. This theory is known as the Clovis-first hypothesis, because it is based on the distinctive stone spear points found at Clovis sites across North America, dating back to about 13,000 years ago.
However, in recent decades, more and more evidence has emerged that humans were present in North America before Clovis, and that they may have used different routes and methods to reach the continent. For example, some archaeologists suggest that humans may have followed the coastlines by boat, or crossed over from Europe via the Atlantic Ocean.
This discovery challenges the conventional view of when and how humans first arrived in North America. For a long time, archaeologists believed that the first humans came from Asia via a land bridge called Beringia, and then spread southward through an ice-free corridor between two massive glaciers. This theory is known as the Clovis-first hypothesis, because it is based on the distinctive stone spear points found at Clovis sites across North America, dating back to about 13,000 years ago.
However, in recent decades, more and more evidence has emerged that humans were present in North America before Clovis, and that they may have used different routes and methods to reach the continent. For example, some archaeologists suggest that humans may have followed the coastlines by boat, or crossed over from Europe via the Atlantic Ocean.
Advertisements
13 August 2023
Advertisements
