Meadowcroft Rockshelter

40.286515 - 80.491312Koordinaten: 40 ° 17 '11 "N, 80 ° 29' 29" W

The rock niche of Meadowcroft (English Meadowcroft rock shelter ) is an archaeological site near Avella in the southwest of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In the niche 1973-1977 traces have been found during excavations by James Adovasio which are among the oldest finds of human settlement in the Americas. The niche has been safely used between 10,000 BC and about 1300 people. 14C dates from the Paisley Caves in Oregon and OSL data from the Buttermilk Creek Complex in Texas but refer to a much earlier use and could therefore be evidence that the colonization of America by Paleo- Indians even before the 11,000 year old Clovis culture began.

Since 2005, the locality is designated as a National Historic Landmark, it is integrated into the Museum of Rural Life and can be visited.

Dating

The Abri has eleven strata that were dated with 70 different measurements. Stratum IIa contains the oldest traces of human life, and can be divided into three substrates. The most recent of which was 10950-7950 (BP ) dated, the middle to 12,950 and 10,950 BP, while the oldest substratum allowed seven readings that are 19600-13230 years BC. Criticism of the published data 1982/84 suspected contamination of deeper layers by acid rain water flushed down carbon. Sedimentological studies by Paul Goldberg and Trina Arpin in the late 1990s could not detect any contamination of the measurement results, thus confirming the integrity of the radiocarbon chronology. Thus, the minimum age of the affected people of layers 12000-10600 years, the average calibrated age of the six lowest finds is 14555-13955 years. Adovasio therefore assumes no revolutionary revaluation of the settlement of America, but their shifts starting at 2000 to 3000 years before Clovis.

Use

The findings show a repeatedly interrupted for long periods, but for the long period of time remarkably consistent use. The hunter-gatherers talked only temporarily in the region and went from a niche on hunting, gathering wild plants and freshwater mussels and prepared their food on site. The findings are primarily stone tools, including projectile points and a variety of discounts, blades and scrapers. In addition, bones of hunted animals and a surprising number of well-preserved plant remains from most periods of use were detected. Also, there were ashes and charcoal from cooking fires. Addition, there are single finds of tools made of bone and traces of wattle, probably baskets. However, it lacks speck out of stone processing, traces the production of ceramics or other artifacts, so that one can not speak of a settlement of the niche, rather constituted only a temporary hunting and gathering base a highly mobile population.

The highest intensity of use was in the transitional period from the Archaic to the Woodland period, before and after were the findings in both the number and the diversity significantly poorer. Unusually for the region of western Pennsylvania, the Fund Poverty is in the last few centuries, after a undetermined time between the years 285 and 650, you will be returned to a collapse of the cave roof in about this time, by the usable part of the half cavity significantly reduced been. After that she was probably not suitable for larger groups of people and was visited only sporadically.

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