martes, 22 de septiembre de 2015

Earliest evidence of ancient North American salmon fishing verified


1/3. Image courtesy of Ben Potter, UAF
A salmon bone is show as it is excavated from the Upward Sun River site in Alaska.
 
Researchers in Alaska have found the earliest known evidence that Ice Age humans in North America used salmon as a food source, according to a new paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The findings counter traditionally held beliefs that Ice Age Paleoindians were primarily big-game hunters. They are based on analysis of 11,500-year-old chum salmon bones found by University of Alaska Fairbanks anthropologist Ben Potter and colleagues at the Upward Sun River site in Interior Alaska. Excavation of the site has revealed human dwellings, tools and human remains, as well as the salmon bones.

“Salmon fishing has deep roots, and we now know that salmon have been consumed by North American humans at least 11,500 years ago,” said lead author Carrin Halffman, a UAF anthropologist who helped analyze the fish bones with co-authors Brian Kemp of Washington State University, Potter and others. [...] University of Alaska Fairbanks

Ancient burial site discovered in Kerry


1/3. The excavated tomb at Killaclohane in Co Kerry.
 
Archeologists have uncovered what they believe to be the remains of the first settlers in the south-west, dating back almost 6,000 years old.

The remains of what are thought to be two people, one adult and one adolescent, were discovered following excavations at a neolithic structure near Milltown, Co Kerry.

Analysis of the human remains reveal they were cremated post-mortem but further analysis will reveal if the bones found belong to more than two humans. County archaeologist with Kerry County Council, Michael Connolly said the find was one of the most significant in the county and the first indication of settlement, where people stayed in the area and started to farm the land.

The discovery was made near the dolmen or portal tomb at Killaclohane in Milltown, the oldest intact structure in the county.

The land owner, Ken O’Neill, had noticed the cap on the dolmen — which dates back to 3,800 BC — appeared to be loose and alerted the council. Other items recovered in the dig include a number of arrowheads, scrapers, and a flint javelin head, along with fragments of neolithic pottery. [...] Irish Examiner / Link 2