Abstract
By 13,000 BP human populations were present across North America, but the exact date of arrival to the continent, especially areas south of the continental ice sheets, remains unclear. Here we examine patterns in the stratigraphic integrity of early North American sites to gain insight into the timing of first colonization. We begin by modeling stratigraphic mixing of multicomponent archaeological sites to identify signatures of stratigraphic integrity in vertical artifact distributions. From those simulations, we develop a statistic we call the Apparent Stratigraphic Integrity Index (ASI), which we apply to pre- and post-13,000 BP archaeological sites north and south of the continental ice sheets. We find that multiple early Beringian sites dating between 13,000 and 14,200 BP show excellent stratigraphic integrity. Clear signs of discrete and minimally disturbed archaeological components do not appear south of the ice sheets until the Clovis period. These results provide support for a relatively late date of human arrival to the Americas.
Funder
Adelphi University
Division of Arctic Sciences
Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission
National Science Foundation
George C. Frison Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology
University of Wyoming
Wyoming Archaeological Foundation
Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund
Roy J. Shlemon Center for Quaternary Studies
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Reference85 articles.
1. PIDBA (Paleoindian Database of the Americas) 2010: current status and findings;DG Anderson;Archaeology of Eastern North America,2010
2. Redefining the age of Clovis: Implications for the peopling of the Americas;MR Waters;Science,2007
3. The age of Clovis—13,050 to 12,750 cal yr;MR Waters;BP. Science Advances,2020
Cited by
16 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献