Clovis artifacts do not end debate over first Americans

The antiquity of the peopling of the Americas has been, and continues to be, one of the most controversial issues in American archaeology.

For many years, it was accepted that the Clovis culture represented the earliest appearance of people in this hemisphere.

The hallmark of the Clovis culture is a particular style of grooved spear point that is found from Alaska to northern South America.

Traditionally, the Clovis culture has been said to date from 11,500 to 10,900 years ago, but a comprehensive and critical review of the radiocarbon dates for Clovis in the Feb. 23 issue of the journal Science has narrowed the range to 11,050 to 10,800 years ago.

Michael Waters, director of the Center for the Study of the First Americans, and Thomas Stafford, director of Stafford Research Laboratories, argue that "in as few as 200 calendar years, Clovis technology originated and spread throughout North America."

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