Human occupation of Americans pushed back to 18,000 years

At one time the date for human occupation of the Americas was set at about 13,000 years ago, this date determined from archaeological digs at Clovis sites, principally in New Mexico. Over the years this date has been pushed back in time by findings since determined valid, and by findings still highly controversial and suspect. The latest find is at Southern Oregon’s Rimrock Draw Rockshelter. Archaeologists have unearthed items that suggest human habitation over 18,000 years ago.

Whenever there is a major archaeological find, a battle fundamental to the advancement of science ensues. On the one hand, those involved with the find, write a paper, and try to do whatever they can to establish the validity of their find. In the meantime, it is the duty of all other archeologists to do everything they can to call the find into question, because if the find can survive this stringent scrutiny, it then becomes accepted orthodoxy.

Orthodoxy is difficult to establish, because it must supplant previous orthodoxy, and once established, it is difficult to remove. For example, John Ostrom’s assertion that birds were the direct descendant of dinosaurs met with ridicule when first proposed over sixty years ago, but now with so many feathered fossil finds in places like China, it is accepted orthodoxy.

When it comes to determining the occupation of the Americas there is an additional problem: tribes do not appreciate dominant culture archeologists digging in the earth, possibly violating the resting place of ancestors, and then telling tribes who they are and where they come from. Science is easy for tribes to accept when it is the technology that provides people with modern conveniences, but when it challenges tradition and beliefs, many tribes see science as their enemy. It is difficult to successfully challenge the theory of gravity, as stepping off a 100-foot cliff always produces disastrous results, but it is easy for science ignorant people to scoff at radiocarbon dating and embrace the beliefs passed down to them by respected elders.

The question becomes, not whether humans crossed over into North America before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), which is the largest extent of icesheets spreading south, but whether they evolved here, or were created to be here. On that question, science is not silent.

In Europe, Asia and Africa, fossilized and un-fossilized remains of prehuman ancestors are often found. While the origin of all humans is hotly disputed, that humans evolved from a pre-human species somewhere on this planet is not a scientific dispute. In the Americas, despite two centuries of effort, digging in every corner of both continents, no evidence has ever been found of a pre-human species, and so that leaves only two possibilities. Humans got to the Americas by migrating from some other part of the world, or they were magically created here.

The second possibility is beyond the purview of science, as it cannot be empirically tested, let alone verified.

Finding evidence then of early occupation is only evidence for early occupation. It is not evidence that humans originated in the Americas, but tribes routinely try to interpret these archaeological finds as validating ancestral beliefs, which they do not.

Spurious archeological digs in the Americas happen, and the determination that the find is spurious is never clean. This happens for two reasons. One, aspects of the find are correctly identified as possible indications of human occupation or activity, but that possibility is often wishful thinking artfully packaged as legitimate science. Two, the sentiment of tribes is anti-science if for any reason that science challenges traditional beliefs, and pro-science if that science can be interpreted to validate traditional beliefs. The actual validity of the science becomes a principled reality outside the parameters motivating interest in the find.

Near San Diego, mammoth bones were found, with markings indicating the bones had been stripped by a human tool. This put human occupation of Southern California at over 40,000 years ago. Peer review established that this assertion was not warranted by the evidence; the markings could have been caused by nonhuman means.

There have been a couple of finds, of human footprints or artefacts which indicate human occupation as far back as 26,000, which is before the LGM, so those findings are very significant. It means humans came here before the ice sheets blocked passage south. The question here is can those footprints be accurately dated? There is no doubt there are footprints, but when did people leave them in the mud? At present, this cannot be established with certainty.

The finding at Rimrock Draw Rockshelter may be the first finding which clearly indicates human occupation before the LGM. But regardless of the antiquity of any finding, it does not speak to the assertion that humans originated in the Americas. They certainly came here from somewhere, possibly five different routes: they came over in ships from the South Pacific, and reached the coast of South America; they came over from Europe along the bottom of the Atlantic Ice Sheet; they came over from Asia, along the bottom of the Pacific Ice Sheet; they sailed over from Africa; they crossed over the Bering land bridge from Asia.

All verified evidence suggests they crossed over the land bridge, but crossing over along the Pacific Ice Sheet or arriving in South America from the South Pacific are highly likely. Sailing over from Africa or crossing over the Atlantic Ice Sheet, are highly unlikely.

With only about ten percent of the fossil record surviving, and given the age of the earth, the possibility always exists that at any time archeologists can find something that sets orthodoxy on its ear. For example, if they dig up a spaceship, with some Mayan skeletons in the back, that will upset the orthodoxy apple cart. But at present, the oldest valid evidence we have of human occupation is just over 18,000 years ago, and tracking population groups by genetics, indicate strong ties to Old World populations for all peoples of the Americas.

(Contact James Giago Davies at skindiesel@msn.com)

 

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