New archaeological evidence in Mexico's Sonoran Desert suggest America's earliest inhabitants hunted ancient relatives of the modern elephant.
The elephant-like -- and long extinct -- family of animals known as gomphotheres once populated much of North America. And now, thanks to new research by archaeologists at the University of Arizona, we know that America's earliest inhabitants hunted Cuvieronius, a genus of gomphothere.
Scientists recently found gomphothere fossils while digging at an ancient Clovis site in Mexico. The excavation site is called El Fin del Mundo, which is Spanish for "the end of the world," and at 13,390 years old it is the earliest evidence of the Clovis civilization yet.
The Clovis culture is considered to be the earliest distinct civilization in the Americas; the Clovis culture, as categorized by archaeologists and anthropologists, is defined by its spear blades -- precisely shaped chalcedony, chert, quartzite and rhyolite weaponry used to kill giant Ice Age mammals.
Not only is the new site one of the oldest examples of the Clovis culture, it's also the most recent evidence of the gomphothere, which scientists assumed had died out before humans arrived.
"The Clovis stereotypically went out and hunted mammoth, and now there's another elephant on the menu," said Vance Holliday, researcher at Arizona and co-author the new Clovis study -- published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The date and location of the newest -- and now oldest -- Clovis site has also cast doubt on our understanding of the culture's origin.
"Finding the oldest Clovis sites that far south really does suggest to me that Clovis probably originated somewhere in southern North America, and that has a lot of implications for the peopling of the Americas," said Thomas Jennings, an archaeologist at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton who did not participate on the dig.
"I think sites like El Fin del Mundo really force us to rethink the process of the colonization of the Americas," he added.
GMT 10:54 2018 Sunday ,02 December
Egypt wins membership of World Water Council board of governorsGMT 13:57 2018 Thursday ,29 November
UN weather agency: 2018 is fourth hottest year on recordGMT 07:52 2018 Thursday ,15 November
Massive meteorite crater discovered under Greenland ice-sheetGMT 14:25 2018 Sunday ,28 October
Indonesia quake losses soar to 1.2 billion dollarsGMT 07:44 2018 Wednesday ,24 October
Hurricane Willa gathers speed on way to Mexico's coastGMT 09:11 2018 Tuesday ,23 October
Sri Lanka, Germany top Lonely Planet's destination list for in 2019GMT 19:48 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Oil slick off China coast trebles in sizeGMT 13:38 2018 Sunday ,21 January
Spotted hyena returns to Gabon park after 20 yearsMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor