Where did Native Americans come from and when did they first arrive? This question continues to fascinate the archaeological community.
For many years, the accepted version of American prehistory dated the arrival of peoples to the Western hemisphere between 12,900 and 13,200 years ago. This consensus, called the "Clovis Barrier," has recently been challenged by discoveries at numerous archaeological sites in both North and South America. New genetic analysis has confirmed a Siberian origin for Native Americans and linguistic research suggests they arrived in three waves.
Due to these findings, most American archaeologists are now convinced that people came to the Western Hemisphere thousands of years prior to Clovis-just how much earlier is the subject of continuing research, with evidence of human presence as early as 33,000 years ago. The history of the very earliest settlement of the New World is the subject of Strangers in a New Land.
This book documents 26 Clovis/Folsom Age Sites, Pseudo Pre-Clovis Sites, Legitimate Pre-Clovis Sites and Controversial Pre-Clovis Sites. An account of the history, discoveries and controversies surrounding each site is accompanied by photographs, maps and diagrams illustrating the excavations and dating the evidence of human activity. While these sites have been described in academic journals, Strangers in a New Land brings these findings together for the first time written in language accessible to the general reader.
About the Author
J.M. Adovasio is the Director of Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute and Dean of The Zurn School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Mercyhurst University. Since 1971 he has overseen archaeological work at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter, one of the best dated Pre-Clovis sites in the Western Hemisphere. Adovasio is author of over 250 journal articles and five books on the peopling of the New World.
David Pedler is the Director of the Geographic Information Systems Laboratory at the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, Mercyhurst University, Erie, PA.
325 colour photos, archival photos, colour illustrations, maps and diagrams
Industry Reviews
Explores the major archaeological sites in the Americas and details their place in the ongoing debate as to who colonized the Americas and how. The book is divided into two parts. Part one is entitled "Questions and Answers" and addresses the who, how, when, and why conundrum. Part two, "The Evidence," examines 24 archaeological sites organized into four categories... For each site, a narrative is provided that describes the history of the archaeological work undertaken and a description of the most important artifacts discovered along with an explanation of their context within the debate over the peopling of the Americas. Also included are copious illustrations, maps, and photographs, many in full color and some the size of an entire page. Appendixes include a glossary and a nine-page explanation of carbon dating that includes the carbon dates for the artifacts discussed in the main body of the work. Concluding the book is a bibliography and index. This work is highly recommended to all libraries as it details a scientific debate that continues to roil the archeological community in language that is easily understandable by lay readers.--John R. Burch Jr. "ARBA Online" (3/1/2018 12:00:00 AM)
By organizing the book around key sites with generous illustrations, Adovasio and Pedler present readers with a thorough tour of the sites, assemblages, and material evidence associated with the colonization event... The book provides a concise and beautifully illustrated trip through these individual sites and artifacts, which goes a long way toward providing an explanation of what is and is not currently known.--Nicole M. Waguespack "Quarterly Review of Biology" (9/1/2017 12:00:00 AM)
Highly recommended. All public and general collections and undergraduate libraries.--L. L. Johnson "Choice" (3/1/2017 12:00:00 AM)
This large format book is lavishly illustrated and written for the general reader, and the in-depth description of the thirty-five key early sites is the first of its kind. It is a must-read book for all of us, archaeologists and lay people alike, who are interested in the story of how the Americas were colonized.--Mark Michel "American Archaeology" (12/1/2016 12:00:00 AM)
This lavishly illustrated work gives a comprehensive overview of the rapidly evolving field of New World archaeology-- "Publishers Weekly" (1/16/2017 12:00:00 AM)
