Bluefish Caves
Encyclopedia
Bluefish Caves is an archaeological site in the Yukon Territory of Canada (about 50 miles southwest of Old Crow
) from which a specimen of allegedly human-worked mammoth
bone has been radiocarbon dated to 28,000 years before present (y.b.p.).
Bluefish Cave was initially discovered by a fish expedition in 1976. The initial find of a mammoth bone spear point was made by archaeologist Jacques Cinq-Mars in 1978-79, but not radiocarbon dated and published until the early 1990s due to lack of funding. As the Clovis-First theory
, which dominated New World
archaeology until recent years, is revered by the archeological establishment, the research of Cinq-Mars that suggests a date of 28,000 y.b.p. was largely ignored, and he was unable to obtain funding for follow-up research until 2008. Findings at a site in Chile dated human existence there back to 12,500 years ago. With the Chile site findings being decreed valid by prominent archeologists, it gave renewed interest and possible validity in the Bluefish Cave sites.
Recently another team has discovered allegedly human-worked mammoth bone flakes in the Bluefish Caves area, radiocarbon dated to an even earlier period of 40,000 y.b.p.
Despite a growing acceptance in the scientific community of sites dated somewhat earlier than Clovis, such as Monte Verde
in Chile
at 14,500 y.b.p, evidence such as that from the Bluefish Caves area or the Topper
site in South Carolina
indicating much more ancient dates remains radically controversial and unaccepted by mainstream archaeology.
Three caves make up the site. The first cave contain various animal bones that appeared to have been dragged there by predators, but findings of tool marks and some tools themselves point to a human presence.
Old Crow, Yukon
-Population data:-External links:******, a National Film Board of Canada documentary...
) from which a specimen of allegedly human-worked mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
bone has been radiocarbon dated to 28,000 years before present (y.b.p.).
Bluefish Cave was initially discovered by a fish expedition in 1976. The initial find of a mammoth bone spear point was made by archaeologist Jacques Cinq-Mars in 1978-79, but not radiocarbon dated and published until the early 1990s due to lack of funding. As the Clovis-First theory
Models of migration to the New World
There have been several models for the human settlement of the Americas proposed by various academic communities. The question of how, when and why humans first entered the Americas is of intense interest to archaeologists and anthropologists, and has been a subject of heated debate for centuries...
, which dominated New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
archaeology until recent years, is revered by the archeological establishment, the research of Cinq-Mars that suggests a date of 28,000 y.b.p. was largely ignored, and he was unable to obtain funding for follow-up research until 2008. Findings at a site in Chile dated human existence there back to 12,500 years ago. With the Chile site findings being decreed valid by prominent archeologists, it gave renewed interest and possible validity in the Bluefish Cave sites.
Recently another team has discovered allegedly human-worked mammoth bone flakes in the Bluefish Caves area, radiocarbon dated to an even earlier period of 40,000 y.b.p.
Despite a growing acceptance in the scientific community of sites dated somewhat earlier than Clovis, such as Monte Verde
Monte Verde
Monte Verde is an archaeological site in southern Chile, located in the northern Patagonia near Puerto Montt, Chile, which has been dated to 14,800 years BP . This dating adds to the evidence showing that settlement in the Americas pre-dates the Clovis culture by roughly 1000 years...
in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
at 14,500 y.b.p, evidence such as that from the Bluefish Caves area or the Topper
Topper (archaeological site)
Topper is an archaeological site located along the Savannah River in Allendale County, South Carolina in the United States. It is noted as the location of controversial artifacts believed by some archaeologists to indicate human habitation of the New World earlier than the Clovis culture,...
site in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
indicating much more ancient dates remains radically controversial and unaccepted by mainstream archaeology.
Three caves make up the site. The first cave contain various animal bones that appeared to have been dragged there by predators, but findings of tool marks and some tools themselves point to a human presence.
Further reading
The Significance of the Bluefish Caves in Beringian Prehistory by Jacques Cinq-Mars, Archaeological Survey of CanadaArchaeological Survey of Canada
The Archaeological Survey of Canada is a division of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Its mandate is the preservation of archaeological sites and research and publication on the history of the native peoples of Canada....