Message #263320

[Morrison]

Most of these intentionally modified rocks were used for scraping and cutting, the researchers say. A few circular stones were possibly flung at prey with slings. Artifacts also included sharp fragments of stone produced as by-products of toolmaking.

Four stone artifacts were found in soil dating to at least 25,000 years ago. But more evidence is needed to confirm that humans visited Monte Verde and other South American sites before 20,000 years ago (SN: 4/20/13, p. 9), the scientists say.

Dillehay’s team also identified 12 soil sections containing ash from small fires, bits of burned wood and nine partial animal bones, five of which were burned or showed signs of heating. The estimated ages for the Monte Verde discoveries come from radiocarbon measures of burned material and soil analyses that estimate when artifacts were buried.

Archaeologists searching for further pre-Clovis sites will need to keep an eye out for simple tools and remnants of small hearths or campfires, Dillehay adds. Remains of Clovis sites, which typically feature separate areas for cooking, toolmaking and other activities, are easier to spot.

The discoveries at Monte Verde “point to a new kind of site that needs much more study” to understand when people first reached the Americas, remarks archaeologist Daniel Sandweiss of the University of Maine in Orono.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/people-roamed-tip-south-america-18500-years-ago