Did Pre-Clovis People Inhabit the Paisley Caves (And Why Does It Matter)?

Authors

Stuart J. Fiedel, Louis Berger GroupFollow

Document Type

Open Access Preprint

Anticipated Volume

86

Anticipated Issue

1

Final Published Version

http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol86/iss1/8/

Abstract

The date and processes of initial human colonization of the Americas are crucial issues for the understanding of human biological and cultural development. For example, Soares et al. (2009) cited the American archaeological record to validate their proposed revision of the human mitochondrial molecular clock. Their suggested mutation rate puts the date of rapid expansion of Native American clades at around 13,500–15,000 cal BP. Similarly, Poznik et al. (2013) have used the “high-confidence archaeological dating” of the initial peopling of the Americas to calibrate the rates of both Y-chromosome and mtDNA mutation and thereby to reconcile the ages of the common ancestors of human males and females. They use a date of ca. 15,000, based on purported archaeological evidence from Monte Verde, Chile, dated to 14,600 cal BP.

Recommended Citation

Fiedel, Stuart J., "Did Pre-Clovis People Inhabit the Paisley Caves (And Why Does It Matter)?" (2014). Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints. 47.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol_preprints/47