New research and the discovery of multiple archaeological sites predating people previously thought by experts to be the first Americans provide evidence that the Americas were first colonized at least 14,000 years ago.
In its September/October issue, Archaeology Magazine queries archaeologists on where research has led to date.
Over the past 15 years, the consensus in the archaeology field, according to the magazine, has gradually moved beyond the idea that Clovis -- hunter-gatherers who crossed from Siberia to Alaska and populated the Americas 13,000 years ago -- "came first."
Nonetheless, Michael Waters, director of the Center for the Study of the First Americans at Texas A&M University, told Archaeology Magazine that Clovis is still important.
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| Texas A&M University Press, 2014 |
"But, we have to realize that there were people here before. Now we have to determine how long before Clovis people were here, who they were, what kind of technology they carried, and how they migrated through the continent and settled the empty landscapes."
The Center for the Study of the First Americans continues to analyze Clovis and other findings through its Peopling of the Americas Publications, published by Texas A&M University Press.
In the new volume Clovis: On the Edge of a New Understanding, edited by Ashley M. Smallwood and Thomas A. Jennings, due out in December, researchers provide their current perspectives of the Clovis archaeological record as they address the question: what is and what is not Clovis?
Continue reading the Archaeology Magazine article to discover how archaeologists are now answering key questions, like who were the earliest Americans, and how and when did they get here?
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| Texas A&M University Press, 2011 |
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