Archaeologists Found the Oldest Dwelling in the Western Hemisphere in Alaska

A rare early camp

The excavation revealed stone tools, bone needles, an antler pendant and preserved areas of activity. A hearth, a small pit and a mark left by a wooden post may indicate a lean-to or early tent; a nearby earth oven contained charcoal and animal bones.

The findings distinguish the location from the small seasonal hunting camps commonly identified across Beringia. Researchers suggest people returned to this place intermittently over a period of roughly 1,000 years.

Evidence of distant connections

Obsidian found at the camp matches a geological source hundreds of miles to the northwest, indicating the material travelled a considerable distance. Distinctive diamond-shaped tools made from rhyolite and basalt also resemble implements from sites in present-day northern Siberia.

Eight fragments of bone needles connect the site with more southerly North American locations. They are the oldest discovered eyed needles in the Western Hemisphere, while the drilled antler pendant resembles personal ornaments found elsewhere on the continent.

Together, the objects point to cultural links extending both west and south. Study authors said the finds highlight connections between early Beringians and people farther into the Americas, though it is not clear whether the camp’s residents themselves made those journeys.

Clues about dogs and settlement

Researchers examined the jaw of one wolf-like animal among remains from more than a dozen such animals. The analysis identified a canid population unique to central Alaska, rather than a dire wolf or Pleistocene gray wolf.

Since current genetic evidence links early North American domesticated dogs to Siberian wolves, the site’s age and location provide circumstantial evidence that its residents may have kept dogs. The discovery does not establish that the animals were domesticated.

The researchers say further investigation at this site and others is needed to clarify when and how populations moved east of the land bridge. Alaska’s remoteness and the small number of intensively studied areas leave major gaps in the archaeological record.