Researchers from the University of Kansas studied an ancient camp on a ridge above Alaska’s Tanana River. They identified three layers showing that people used the site 13,800, 13,000, and 12,700 years ago. The discoveries suggest that the people did more than simply pass through the area.
Animal remains show that they hunted mammoths, bison, horses, and caribou. Inside the remains of a shelter, researchers found a large stone used as a work surface, damaged bison bones, and stones used as hammers. They believe people broke bones to collect marrow, the soft material inside, and probably also extracted fat. A large oven built into the ground stood nearby. Bird bones were made into needles.
The team also discovered diamond-shaped stone points that may have served as weapon tips. Comparable points from that period are known on the Russian side of the Bering Land Bridge. This suggests that people traveled across the bridge to the camp, and perhaps back again. The land connection formed about 35,000 years ago and disappeared beneath rising seas about 12,000 years ago.
