The site of Meadowcroft
The site of Meadowcroft, in the south-west of the Pennsylvania, is one of the archeological sites most published, in North America.The site was excavated between 1973 and 1978 by a team of the university of Pittsburg, directed by the archeologist James Adovasio. The first datings by radiocarbon 14 indicated that the rock shelter could have been occupied between 16.000 years and 19.000 years.
The site of Meadowcroft would hold the record of the longest presence of human occupation in Americas. The many layers of occupations (not less than eleven layers) contained more than 2000 glares and tools out of stone (among the artefacts, of double-side, the knives, the points of projectile as well as small prismatic blades), 150 hearths and a million bones of animals. The remainders of a stag, cut out and burned, were dated at 17000 years, oldest ossement is ossement discovered on the site.
The archaeological team of Adovasio divides these various layers into three sub-units. The highest under-level goes back to approximately 8.000 to 11.000 years. It is separated from the average under-level by a layer of rock which was the screen roof and walls. This average layer accumulated between 11.000 and 13.000 years. Finally the low under-level contains dates with radiocarbon 14 20.000 years. This level indicates to us the presence of the first human ones in this sector.
| Random links: | Jean Bernard Leon Foucault | Colli Bolognesi Pignoletto Marconiane Hill | Type 321 (JR West) | Praxis Rabemananjara | Egilmar Ier | Thomas_William_Robertson |