IngentaConnect An Overview of Alaskan Late Pleistocene Archaeology: Historical T...

Author: Bever M.R.¹

Source: Journal of World Prehistory, Volume 15, Number 2, June 2001 , pp. 125-191(67)

Publisher: Springer

Abstract:

Alaska has long held an important role in the late Pleistocene prehistory of the New World. Alaska being situated at the juncture between the Old and New Worlds, scholars have long looked to the Alaskan archaeological record to provide clues into the initial peopling of the New World. As such, Alaska figures prominently in most models of the peopling of the New World. In recent years, however, it has become clear that the late Pleistocene archaeological record of Alaska is characterized by great technological and adaptive diversity, and no single interpretive model can adequately explain that diversity. This paper traces the development of Pleistocene Alaskan archaeology by outlining the history of site discoveries and interpretations. In so doing, it provides a historical perspective on current frameworks of Alaskan Pleistocene prehistory. Based primarily on a search for the first inhabitants of the New World, however, the research questions traditionally guiding Alaskan archaeology have tended to complicate rather than clarify the picture. In some cases, this has led to false expectations and oftentimes contradictory interpretations, many of which still persist, and which can only be resolved by addressing the Alaskan record on its own terms.

Keywords: Beringia; Paleoindian; Paleoarctic; Nenana; peopling of the New World

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Department of Anthropology/Sociology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California 95053

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An Overview of Alaskan Late Pleistocene Archaeology: Historical Themes and Current Perspectives