Humans reach North America is listed at ~16k years ago. That’s based on the Clovis First model that was still dominant then.
Now we know small populations of humans were already in the Americas when this chart begins, having traveled along the coast from around what is today Japan.
Archaeology is progressing so quickly these days that even XKCD is no longer an up-to-date source!
“Kelp Highway” is a common name for the theory, since it involves exploiting rich marine ecosystems while expanding down the coast relatively quickly.
“Pre Clovis Sites” should get you to the level of specific digs.
“Western stemmed points” are the most solid link back to the cultures in East Asia after the last glacial maximum. I believe the genetic data is not as clear on this yet but is coming together.
The Oregon Archaeological Society’s YouTube channel has a number of professional lectures for amateur enthusiasts that touch on this - https://youtu.be/KPpgn-NVeLI?si=SCKpePUNp3pKyPSa i think this is the one with a lot of info on the evidence for links to cultures in Japan.
Humans reach North America is listed at ~16k years ago. That’s based on the Clovis First model that was still dominant then.
Now we know small populations of humans were already in the Americas when this chart begins, having traveled along the coast from around what is today Japan.
Archaeology is progressing so quickly these days that even XKCD is no longer an up-to-date source!
What should I search for if I want to read up more on this? I hadn’t heard of these recent developments.
“Kelp Highway” is a common name for the theory, since it involves exploiting rich marine ecosystems while expanding down the coast relatively quickly.
“Pre Clovis Sites” should get you to the level of specific digs.
“Western stemmed points” are the most solid link back to the cultures in East Asia after the last glacial maximum. I believe the genetic data is not as clear on this yet but is coming together.
The Oregon Archaeological Society’s YouTube channel has a number of professional lectures for amateur enthusiasts that touch on this - https://youtu.be/KPpgn-NVeLI?si=SCKpePUNp3pKyPSa i think this is the one with a lot of info on the evidence for links to cultures in Japan.
Rad, thank you!!