Posted on 12/17/2001 2:22:22 PM PST by blam
Calico: A 200,000-year old site in the Americas?
New World archaeological sites inferred to be even slightly older than the 11.5 ka Clovis complexes have been controversial; so claims for a 200 ka site in North America have heretofore been treated with substantial disdain. But the acceptance of Monte Verde and Diring may soon change that.
The classic "ancient site" in the New World is "Calico," located in the Central Mojave Desert of California (Shlemon and Budinger, 1990). Two issues have dogged acceptance of Calico by mainstream archaeologists: (1) the authenticity of the artifacts; are they truly the product of human manufacture, or merely naturally produced "geofacts?" and (2) the obvious pre-Clovis age of the deposits (see, for example, lengthy discussions in Leakey and others, 1968; Haynes, 1973; Bryan, 1978; Taylor and Payen, 1975; Carter, 1980; Meighen, 1983; Patterson, 1983; and Budinger and Simpson, 1985).
Thought to be about 200 ka old, the deeply buried chert and chalcedony tools of Calico are usually dismissed as being artifacts. However, if shown to respected Old World archaeologists, many Calico assemblages are readily described as typical Paleolithic implements. Regardless, when told that the ancient tools come from the New World, these same archaeologists then often reject their original interpretation! So much for unbiased reasoning in science! Nevertheless, although it will take time, the pre-Clovis Monte Verde site in Chile and the 260 ka Diring site in Siberia may well provide a "stepping stone" for mainstream archaeological acceptance of the Calico site.
Hey, I was the third meanest kid in Daggett!!!
From what decade? If it's the late 50's or early 60's then I probably know you.
JFK grad, 1967
I don't think the "evidence" is the problem here but rather the assumptive projections foisted upon the evidence and stated as fact.
By the time the ivy league academicians get around to adjusting their doctrines of human pre-history:
We will have captured and bred bigfoot
Chupacabra will be a plush childrens toy
Martha Stewart will be in world wide syndication .
Anthopologists are the worst of the worst when it comes to doctrinaire lethargy.
When I was a boy we did silver dimes. I guess hat's a few decades of inflation for you.
Well, you know, the horse originated in North America, as did the rhinoceros and migrated elsewhere from North America, later becoming extinct in N.A. and continuing on in Asia and Africa, respectively.
The horse was reintroduced in quite "contemporary" times which is why they're then a more current presence on the continents of North and South America.
So, just as to possibility, it's possible that homo sapiens originated in North America/South America, too and migrated outward, and also became extinct in the Americas until later ongoing migrations.
It's POSSIBLE, is all I'm saying. Perhaps the discoveries as to early homo sapiens in Africa were LATER or even parallel to same in the Americas, but the evidence hasn't (yeet) been found as to activity in North/South America.
I'm just saying, it's POSSIBLE. There were likely far more arrivals, disappearances, and arrivals again to and from North/South America by humans and not limited to a few arrivals only.
I just want to add here, for the sake of conversation, that customarily Caucasian, "white" people can and do become quite "red" in skin color after prolonged exposure to the sun, particularly in the middle of North America. I've seen it happen to nearly all male Swedes, for instance, after they've farmed many years.
However, brown hair will turn far more blond in prolonged sun exposure unless there is a head covering worn, in which case brown hair turns darker.
Just saying, could be...that the "red" man is "red" because the lifestyles are mostly, predominantly outside for full day-hours. "Red" is what happens to the skin if you're initially Caucasian (other than people like me who are redhaired and nearly opaquely white skinned, in which case we just burn and stay colorless).
I would bet the finds are a hoax, to drum up business.
Great post and great articles and responses. I have to bookmark this fascinating stuff.
If "modern" man managed to get to Australia possibly 60,000 years ago http://cogweb.ucla.edu/ep/Mungo_Man.html
it is inconceivable to me that modern man didn't manage to reach the Americas well before Clovis.
I think Clovis Man was responsible for the extinction of the Ice Age Megafauna, but there must have been eons of existance of "modern" man and the megafauna together before Clovis technology and the human population density reached the point it could accomplish this.
They found an 80k YO well-worn shell necklace with the 'Hobbits' on Flores Island. BTW, Flores Island was an island during the entire Ice Age. That means the 'Hobbits' survived the Toba near-extinction event 74,000 years ago.
LOL. Calico was there (and known for its artifacts) long before there was a Knotts Berry Farm.
It would be really need if there were solid evidence of human inhabitation of North America 200,000 years ago. It would be even neater if someone could find a Free Republic thread that old and revive it.
Also, notice from the article that nothing of human origin was found. I don't deny that there is rich history there, but I suspect that some are trying to make that dustbowl more popular by creating an archeology interest there.
I'm not buying it.
You're not alone. A lot of people don't.
this appears to be the oldest FR topic about Al Goodyear:
Site Sheds Light on Human Arrival
Source: AP via Yahoo
Published: May 26, 2001
Posted on 05/27/2001 06:25:12 PDT by sarcasm
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b11003848e1.htm
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
Gods, Graves, Glyphs PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
