AIA Talks! First Humans in the Americas 21 January 2014

Kathleen Holen, who did her MA in Archaeology at Exeter University in Devon, UK, will explore how early hominins in Africa learned how to break large animal limb bones with hammerstones to extract marrow at least 2.5 million years ago. Early hominins also learned to flake bone into expedient and patterned bone tools by 1.2 million years ago. Video of experimental breakage of elephant and cow limb bones shows how breakage patterns found on animal limb bones from archaeological sites were produced. Patterned bone breakage and flaking of limb bones at numerous late Pleistocene mammoth sites in the Americas provide evidence of human technology and behavior at least 30,000 years ago.

Dr. Steven Holen, the former Curator of Archaeology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, will address a controversial topic that we have explored with several of our visiting AIA lecturers—the peopling of the Americas. He will open his talk with a history of debate and then offer new evidence and ideas about the date when humans first entered the Americas and by what routes and methods.  

Tuesday, Jan. 21 

  Kathleen Holen

Center for American Paleolithic Research

When People Broke Bones: Early Human Technology and Experimental Archaeology

12:45 PM

Wilson Hall 168

Tuesday, Jan. 21

Dr. Steven Holen

Center for American Paleolithic Research

Early Humans in the Americas: When, Where and Why

7:30 PM

Wilson Hall Theatre

All events are free and open to the public.  Please come and bring a friend!