Expanding Geographic Horizons: New Worlds

Question 1

Were Sundra and Sahul connected during the Pleistocene?

Answer 1

No, Sunda (Southeast Asia) was not connected to Sahul (Australia and New Guinea).

Question 2

What are most of the sites of Sahul dated to?

Answer 2

Upper Paleolithic (45 000 - 40 000 BP). This land includes Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania. The early inhabiters probably travelled in the coastal regions instead of the desert found in the centre of Australia.

Question 3

What is the Lake Mungo 3 Skeleton?

Answer 3

Found in Southeastern Australia dated to 40 000 BP, thought to be 50 years old at death (osteoarthritis and teeth erosion), found with evidence of red ocher (burial tradition?). DNA testing should a lot of difference compared to modern populations.

Question 4

What was found near the Lake Mungo 3 Skeleton?

Answer 4

Burial evidence of a cremated female that dated to be earlier than the “Mungo Man”.

Question 5

What is Beringia/Bering Straight?

Answer 5

The idea of a land bridge between Siberia to Alaska that, at its narrowest point, would have only been an 80 km difference.

Question 6

What is important about Berelekh?

Answer 6

One of the oldest sites in Siberia, dated to 12000-13000 BP with bifaced artifacts.

Question 7

What is important about Ushkia Lake?

Answer 7

One of the oldest sites in Siberia, dated to 11300 BP with artifacts including bifaces, burins, microblades, and unifaces.

Question 8

When would the land bridge have been available?

Answer 8

From 35 000 - 11 000 BP.

Question 9

When were glaciers at their maximum?

Answer 9

20 000 BP.

Question 10

What are Glacial Erratics?

Answer 10

Rocks carried by glaciers for a long distance.

Question 11

What is the Cordilleran Ice Sheet?

Answer 11

Ice Sheet that covered western (BC) Canada.

Question 12

What is the Laurentide Ice Sheet?

Answer 12

Ice Sheet that covered Canada from around Alberta-the east coast.

Question 13

When was the Ice-Free Corridor available?

Answer 13

Around 14 000 BP, between the Cordilleran and Laurentide. Not archaeological evidence of humans exists in this time period in this place.

Question 14

What is the Clovis Culture?

Answer 14

Named so after a site in Mexico, a stone tool industry prevalent in Americas from 13200-12900 (11900?) BP. Thought to possibly be the first stone tool industry in North America. Spear points were very distinctive due to a flute down the middle. Clovis fluted technology was not found in Siberia.

Question 15

What is important about Mote Verde, Chile?

Answer 15

Dated to 14 800 BP, evidence of Costal Routes. Preservation of site was amazing, with processed animals bones, darts, animal hides, clothes. The bog environment helped.

Question 16

What is important about Meadowcroft Rockshelter, PA?

Answer 16

Older than 12000 BP, could be older than Clovis. A lot of charcoal was found, impacting radiocarbon dates. Found flora, bifaces, fauna.

Question 17

What is important about the Debra L. Friedkin site, Texas?

Answer 17

Dated to 15,000 BP - currently thought to be the oldest site in North America. Found Buttermilk Creek complex artifacts (bifacially flaked tolls) and many tools.

Question 18

What is important about the Paisley 5 Mile Point Caves, Oregon?

Answer 18

Dated to 14 3000 BP, used coprolites to look farther into diets and to find DNA. Found braided sagebrush rope in excellent preservation.

Question 19

What is important about the Bluefish Caves, Yukon?

Answer 19

Greater than 12 000 BP, found evidence of remains of mammoth, bison, and caribous in cave.

Question 20

Why did the megafauna possibly become extinct?

Answer 20

Due to the change in climate, connection to the movement of people, and due to the need of more food. Occurred at the end of the Pleistocene.

Question 21

What is the Folsom Culture?

Answer 21

Tool Industry found in New Mexico, with a central flute, found with extinct bison forms (not mammoth) dated to about 10 000 BP.

Question 22

What is important about the Osten-Chubbuck Site?

Answer 22

Bison kill site in Colorado. 200 bison found. At least 75% of the bison were slaughtered, which gives an indication of the population size. The site could have sustained over 100 people, perhaps 150, for a month. Dated to 8,500 BP. The animals were stampeded into an arroyo (a steep-sided dry gully).

Question 23

What is important about the Kennewick Man?

Answer 23

Found in Washington State, late 1900s. Initial findings saw that the cranial features were similar to Europeans, there was good preservation. It was first thought to be an European settle. The Date was around 8500-9000 BP, death date estimated to be 40-55 years. The skeleton had numerous injuries, including rib fractures, atrophy of the left humorous, and a projectile would in the ilium. The Initial Reconstruction looked like Sir Patrick Stewart. Cranial morphology now resembles modern Ainu populations.

Question 24

What is NAGPRA?

Answer 24

Native American Graves Protection and Reparation; repatriation of remains and funerary artifacts to lineal descendants.

Question 25

Review of Peopling of the New World (3)

Answer 25

1. Based on radiocarbon dates from sites in Siberia, people had settlements in Siberia 40 000 BP
2. The colder environment at the end of the Pleistocene meant that there was a land bridge between Siberia and North America between 35 000-11 000 BP
3. A migration route may have existed along the Pacific coast of North America

Question 26

What does the the DNA data say about the Peopling of the New World?

Answer 26

mtDNA suggests a separation between people 25 000-20 000 BP for the populations of NE Asia and the New World.
Y Chromosome DNA supports this.
The variation of the New World mtDNA suggests a spread through the North and South around 16 000 BP.

Question 27

What is the Solutrean Hypothesis?

Answer 27

Solutrean Culture existed 21 000-16 000 BP (Ice age Europe); the leaf-shaped projectile points may have had an influence on Clovis technology. Is it possible that populations from the east arrived in the Americas 20 000 BP? No.

Question 28

What is the oldest radiocarbon dates for Hawaii?

Answer 28

1219-1266 BP.

Question 29

What is the oldest radiocarbon date for New Zealand?

Answer 29

1230-1280 BP.

Question 30

What is the oldest radiocarbon date for Rapa Nui?

Answer 30

1200-1253 BP.

Question 31

What are the Moai?

Answer 31

Statues carved out of basalt, placed in the hundreds around Easter Island (facing inward). Most were carved in a quarry separate from where there were placed (placed on stone platforms - Ahu).

Question 32

When was the European contact of Rapa Nui?

Answer 32

1722; in historical documents, the Moai statues are all upright but by 1744 the statues had been toppled.

Question 33

What is Lithic Mulching?

Answer 33

Deforestation, and replenishing the soil. Can be seen by stones being places on purpose in an empty field; holds down erosion.

Question 34

What are theories about the collapse of the Rapa Nui people?

Answer 34

1. Population growth in a fragile environment, not enough material to support population.
2. Changes due to European contact; disease, slave trading.