A team at the University of Oregon and members of the Bureau of Land Management revealed Thursday that a stone tool uncovered more than a decade ago is now rewriting American history.
Archaeologists working more than 10 years ago at the Rimrock Draw Rockshelter in Oregon found a stone tool that has just been dated to more than 18,000 years ago, some 1,000 years prior to when mainstream archaeology believes human activity began in North America, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
The discovery of stone tools and animal artifacts under a layer of volcanic sediment from a 15,000-year-old eruption of Mount St. Helens first suggested that the tool was far older than the research teams were expecting. Radio-carbon dating of the tooth enamel in 2023 revealed that the shelter and its contents are actually 18,250-years-old.
“This is a very exciting development for the archaeological community,” BLM’s Oregon/Washington Archaeological lead Heather Ulrich said in the press release. “Thanks to the partnership with [study lead] Dr. O’Grady and the University [of Oregon] these new dates push our archaeological knowledge of human occupation in North America even farther, perhaps the oldest yet!”
After the deluge of misinformation from “woke” British journalists over the past couple of weeks re my Ancient Apocalypse docuseries a friend kindly drew my attention to this more positive review from a US source that I had missed when it came out:https://t.co/7spAZZkGec
— Graham Hancock (@Graham__Hancock) November 30, 2022
Prior to the newest data, a site in Idaho was thought to be the oldest area of human occupation in North America, dating back 16,000 years. Just a month ago, ancient remains were discovered in Wyoming that also pushed the mainstream theory of human activity in America back by several thousand years.
“This story demonstrates why the scientific process is so important in archaeology,” historical archaeologist Chelsea Rose told Oregon Live. “If (the team) rushed it or didn’t carefully control how evidence was gathered, they wouldn’t have been able to get this fine-grained data and to say with confidence that we need to shift the paradigm about the way we thought about the peopling of the Americas.” (RELATED: Ancient Large-Scale Mining Discovery Near Lake Superior Starts To Rewrite Native American History)
After dealing with the Society for American Archaeologists and their total inability to even comment on modern archaeological discoveries, my hope is that more researchers defy their ignorance and continue to provide the public with accurate data on our complex, intricate history… just like this incredible team.