Meadowcroft Rock Shelter is an archaeological site located in southwestern Pennsylvania that has been used by humans since Paleo-Indian times. It was occupied from at least 12,000 years ago until nearly 700 years ago. The site was abandoned by Native Americans during the American War for Independence. Meadowcroft was re-discovered by Albert Miller in 1955. He found the site by looking at some diggings made by a ground hog.
Dr. James Adovasio is the man who meticulously excavated this large shelter between 1973 and 1977. The archeological remains were found as deep as 11.5 feet below the ground. Adovasio revealed no less than 11 strata, the lowest of which contained traces of human occupation. Adovasio and his colleagues divide this level into three subunits. The uppermost sublevel dates to between about 10,950 and 7,950 years ago, and is separated from the middle sublevel by a layer of rock that was the roof and walls of the shelter. This middle layer accumulated between about 12,950 and 10,950 years ago, while the lowest sublevel (which also is sealed by the pieces of rock from the walls and roof of the shelter) contains radiocarbon dates from 19,600 to 13,230 years ago. This level tells us what life was like for the earliest humans in this area. It dates back to the end of the last glaciation period, when the glaciers came within thirty miles of Meadowcroft Rockshelter and the climate was like that of today.
The site has yeilded the largest collection of plant and animal remains in a single site in North America. The deposits here include the earliest corn in the area (375-340 BC) and the earliest squash and ceramics (1115-865 BC). The late Archaic (4000-1500 BC) shows an increase in the use of the rockshelter. The middle and early Archaic (8500-4000 BC) include the industrious processing of deer, elk, bird eggs, mussels, hackberries, nuts, and other fruits and seeds. Deeper down, the Paleo-Indian tools are surprisingly sophisticated.
Not everyone agrees that the rockshelter has been used by humans as long as Adovasio believes. The plant remains from the site's lowest level are black gum, oak, and hickory; while the animal bones include white-tailed deer, southern flying squirrel, and the passenger pigeon. The problem occurs when you understand that these are not ice age species. Vance Haynes suggests that maybe the area was contaminated by older carbonates in the groundwater. Adovasio counters this by saying that the low-lying, south facing Meadowcroft Rockshelter was in a microclimate, a sheltered region that could have had a more temperate climate. Whatever the exact date of the first occupation of this shelter by humans, Meadowcroft is one of the earliest documented archaeological sites in North America
Right now 'everybody knows' that the America's were populated from northeast Asia. What I have always supposed is that the America's were populated from ALL OVER - that is - from northeast Asia, and Polynesia, and Europe, and even Africa. Anyone with a mediocre armada of boats could discover a continent that is 10,000 miles from north to south!
Coulda' happened by accident or design, but it was bound to happen.
It seems that if detailed genetic or linguistic studies are done, the puzzle could be solved. It also seems as if this has never been systematically tried.
Even prehistoric man couldn't escape mowing the lawn. Nuts.