Foragers of the Terminal Pleistocene in North America. Renee B. Walker , Boyce N. Driskel

2008 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 605-606
Author(s):  
David J. Meltzer
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene

scholarly journals A new genus of horse from Pleistocene North America

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. Heintzman ◽  
Grant D. Zazula ◽  
Ross D.E. MacPhee ◽  
Eric Scott ◽  
James A. Cahill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
New World ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Limb Bones ◽  
Morphometric Analyses ◽  
Extinction Event ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene

AbstractThe extinct “New World stilt-legged”, or NWSL, equids constitute a perplexing group of Pleistocene horses endemic to North America. Their slender distal limb bones resemble those of Asiatic asses, such as the Persian onager. Previous palaeogenetic studies, however, have suggested a closer relationship to caballine horses than to Asiatic asses. Here, we report complete mitochondrial and partial nuclear genomes from NWSL equids from across their geographic range. Although multiple NWSL equid species have been named, our palaeogenomic and morphometric analyses support the idea that there was only a single species of middle to late Pleistocene NWSL equid, and demonstrate that it falls outside of crown group Equus. We therefore propose a new genus, Haringtonhippus, for the sole species H. francisci. Our combined genomic and phenomic approach to resolving the systematics of extinct megafauna will allow for an improved understanding of the full extent of the terminal Pleistocene extinction event.

Regional variation in the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene radiocarbon record of eastern North America

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Shane Miller ◽  
Joseph A.M. Gingerich
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Regional Variation ◽  
Probability Distributions ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Northeastern United States ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Data Result

AbstractIn this paper we use radiocarbon dates to evaluate the signature of the Younger Dryas Chronozone (YDC) in eastern North America. Using an approach that examines radiocarbon dates by region, we argue that the northeastern United States shows a better overall representation of radiocarbon dates when compared to the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. These data result in a peak in summed probability distributions during the YDC, which is often interpreted as evidence of population growth. Further examination of these distributions, however, illustrates that differential standard deviations, varying sample size, and the effect of taphonomic and research biases likely overwhelm any demographic signatures in our study sample. Consequently, the frequency of radiocarbon dates by itself is insufficient for understanding the relationship between climate, culture and demography in eastern North America.

scholarly journals Footprints preserve terminal Pleistocene hunt? Human-sloth interactions in North America

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. eaar7621 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bustos ◽  
Jackson Jakeway ◽  
Tommy M. Urban ◽  
Vance T. Holliday ◽  
Brendan Fenerty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene

scholarly journals Early human use of anadromous salmon in North America at 11,500 y ago

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (40) ◽  
pp. 12344-12348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrin M. Halffman ◽  
Ben A. Potter ◽  
Holly J. McKinney ◽  
Bruce P. Finney ◽  
Antonia T. Rodrigues ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Oncorhynchus Keta ◽  
The North ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene ◽  
Critical Resource ◽  
Human Use ◽  
Extreme Edge ◽  
Human Burials ◽  
River Site ◽  
The North Pacific

Salmon represented a critical resource for prehistoric foragers along the North Pacific Rim, and continue to be economically and culturally important; however, the origins of salmon exploitation remain unresolved. Here we report 11,500-y-old salmon associated with a cooking hearth and human burials from the Upward Sun River Site, near the modern extreme edge of salmon habitat in central Alaska. This represents the earliest known human use of salmon in North America. Ancient DNA analyses establish the species as Oncorhynchus keta (chum salmon), and stable isotope analyses indicate anadromy, suggesting that salmon runs were established by at least the terminal Pleistocene. The early use of this resource has important implications for Paleoindian land use, economy, and expansions into northwest North America.

Getting Beyond the Point: Textiles of the Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene in the Northwestern Great Basin

2016 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 490-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Connolly ◽  
Pat Barker ◽  
Catherine S. Fowler ◽  
Eugene M. Hattori ◽  
Dennis L. Jenkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Cultural Patterns ◽  
Historic Period ◽  
The North ◽  
The World ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene ◽  
Ams Dates

Although the Great Basin of North America has produced some of the most robust and ancient fiber artifact assemblages in the world, many were recovered with poor chronological controls. Consequently, this class of artifacts has seldom been effectively incorporated into general discussions of early chronological and cultural patterns. In recent years, the Great Basin Textile Dating Project has accumulated direct AMS dates on textiles (bags, sandals, mats, cordage, and basketry) from dry caves in the Great Basin, particularly in the northern and western areas. We focus here on the terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene, to identify chronological patterns in this class of artifacts and to evaluate Adovasio’s characterization of the region’s earliest basketry as simple and undecorated. New AMS dates now suggest that the region’s earliest people had sophisticated textile traditions that incorporated numerous decorative elaborations. Some distinctive structures, including Fort Rock sandals and weft-faced plaited textiles, have limited early temporal ranges and may serve as diagnostic indicators for terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene times. Other basketry forms and structures that appear by about 9000 cal B.P. persist into the historic period, suggesting a stronger thread of continuity (especially in the north) from this time than is apparent in lithic traditions

scholarly journals A new genus of horse from Pleistocene North America

eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D Heintzman ◽  
Grant D Zazula ◽  
Ross DE MacPhee ◽  
Eric Scott ◽  
James A Cahill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
New World ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Limb Bones ◽  
Morphometric Analyses ◽  
Extinction Event ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene

The extinct ‘New World stilt-legged’, or NWSL, equids constitute a perplexing group of Pleistocene horses endemic to North America. Their slender distal limb bones resemble those of Asiatic asses, such as the Persian onager. Previous palaeogenetic studies, however, have suggested a closer relationship to caballine horses than to Asiatic asses. Here, we report complete mitochondrial and partial nuclear genomes from NWSL equids from across their geographic range. Although multiple NWSL equid species have been named, our palaeogenomic and morphometric analyses support the idea that there was only a single species of middle to late Pleistocene NWSL equid, and demonstrate that it falls outside of crown group Equus. We therefore propose a new genus, Haringtonhippus, for the sole species H. francisci. Our combined genomic and phenomic approach to resolving the systematics of extinct megafauna will allow for an improved understanding of the full extent of the terminal Pleistocene extinction event.

scholarly journals Confirming a Cultural Association at the La Prele Mammoth Site (48CO1401), Converse County, Wyoming

2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 554-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline E. Mackie ◽  
Todd A. Surovell ◽  
Matthew O'Brien ◽  
Robert L. Kelly ◽  
Spencer Pelton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Residue Analysis ◽  
Spatial Association ◽  
Spatial Distributions ◽  
New Work ◽  
Microwear Analysis ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene ◽  
Small Tool

Archaeologists have long subjected Clovis megafauna kill/scavenge sites to the highest level of scrutiny. In 1987, a Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) was found in spatial association with a small artifact assemblage in Converse County, Wyoming. However, due to the small tool assemblage, limited nature of the excavations, and questions about the security of the association between the artifacts and mammoth remains, the site was never included in summaries of human-killed/scavenged megafauna in North America. Here we present the results of four field seasons of new excavations at the La Prele Mammoth site that confirm the presence of an associated cultural occupation based on geologic context, artifact attributes, spatial distributions, protein residue analysis, and lithic microwear analysis. This new work identified a more extensive cultural occupation including the presence of multiple discrete artifact clusters in close proximity to the mammoth bone bed. This study confirms the presence of a second Clovis mammoth kill/scavenge site in Wyoming and shows the value in revisiting proposed terminal Pleistocene kill/scavenge sites.

The Cross Creek Site (CA-SLO-1797) and Its Implications for New World Colonization

2002 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry L. Jones ◽  
Richard T. Fitzgerald ◽  
Douglas J. Kennett ◽  
Charles H. Miksicek ◽  
John L. Fagan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
West Coast ◽  
New World ◽  
Migration Route ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
The West ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Game Hunting ◽  
Big Game Hunting

Recent excavations at the Cross Creek site (CA-SLO-1797) on the central coast of California revealed a stratigraphically discrete midden component dating between ca. 8350 and 7700 cal B.C., making it the oldest mainland shell midden on the west coast of North America. A large recovery volume revealed an assemblage dominated by grinding implements (handstones and milling slabs) and crude core and flake tools typical of California's Milling Stone horizon, but the Cross Creek findings extend the antiquity of Milling Stone back to the terminal Pleistocene. The tools and associated faunal remains suggest a gathering economy profoundly different from the terminal Pleistocene big-game hunting of interior North America. This variation is difficult to reconcile as a simple adaptive outgrowth from late Pleistocene hunting and may reflect a separate coastal migration route into the New World.

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