The whole Clovis-first model might be finished and nobody wants to admit it

I grew up learning Clovis people were the first Americans around 13,000 years ago. But after the Cooper's Ferry site in Idaho dated to 15,000 years ago and the footprints in White Sands pushed to 23,000 years, it feels like the old timeline is dead. Yet some archaeologists still teach it like it's solid fact. Are we dragging our feet on updating textbooks or is there still evidence backing the Clovis model?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_faith15d ago

And a buddy of mine who works out in the Pacific Northwest told me he sat in on a dig talk where a really respected older archaeologist just flat out said "you can't teach the old timeline anymore" and got all quiet about it. @hunt.nora your friend's Monte Verde story totally fits because my buddy said that same kind of pushback is happening at Cooper's Ferry too. Like one local guy just kept saying the dates have to be wrong because the textbooks say 13,000 years. It's almost like some people would rather argue with new evidence than admit they spent 30 years teaching something that might not hold up anymore.

rodriguez.felix15d ago

Haven't older sites like Monte Verde still faced a lot of pushback?

hunt.nora15d ago

My buddy from grad school actually visited Monte Verde and said local guides still argue about it with visiting archaeologists.