13,800-Year-Old Alaskan Base Camp Reveals Rare Diamond-Shaped Stone Tools and Other Ancient Artifacts
Researchers found thousands of artifacts and fossils, including eight bone needle fragments and a possible early dwelling, at a 13,800-year-old camp.
- Archaeologists uncovered an ancient encampment called Shg Xdaltth, located 55 kilometers southeast of Fairbanks, that served as a base camp for early inhabitants around 13,800 years ago.
- Representing the oldest potential habitation structure in North America, the site provides what researcher Pelton called an "unprecedented glimpse" into early residential life rather than short-term hunting camps.
- Excavations yielded thousands of artifacts, including diamond-shaped projectile points that mirror styles found in Russia, suggesting cultural connections across the Bering Land Bridge dating to the same period.
- Beyond stone tools, researchers recovered eight bone needle fragments—the oldest in the Western Hemisphere—and wolf-like animal remains suggesting early settlers may have been dog owners with sophisticated domestic practices.
- Lead archaeologist Kelly Graf of the University of Kansas plans future excavations incorporating Alaska Native elders in coming summers, saying "I had no idea we'd stumble into a base camp with tens of thousands of artifacts.
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19 Articles
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wolf.org13,800-year-old base camp reveals life among Alaska’s earliest inhabitants
Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a 13,800-year-old base camp in interior Alaska, including bone needles, stone tools, a possible dwelling and remains of wolf-like canids that may have been associated with early human communities. This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com - © 2023 - HeritageDaily
During the excavation in Alaska, a camp was discovered at the age of 13 800, where homes, scalp needles and the remains of the dog were probably found, linking Beringia to Asia.
Archaeologists discover the oldest dwelling in the Western...
Archaeologists have discovered an ancient base camp in Alaska that has evidence of the oldest dwelling and possibly the earliest domesticated dogs in the Americas. Archaeologists digging at a 13,800-year-old site in interior Alaska have unearthed thousands of artifacts and fossils, including what may be the bones of the earliest domesticated dogs in the Americas, the earliest needles and dwellings in the Western Hemisphere, and stone tools that …
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