May
09
/ 2014
Archaeologists have found numerous artifacts on a remote forest riverbank in northern Idaho dating back around 13,500 years, adding to the evidence for an ancient human presence in the Northwest, according to an announcement on Westerndigs.org. The discovery further ignites the debate about who the first inhabitants were in the Americas and from where they arrived. The finding was made in test pits along the Clearwater River in Idaho and included a blade-like tool made from a rock cobble, and dozens of flakes left over from the tool-making process. A few layers above, researchers found nearly 20 detailed and distinctive stone points, fashioned in what is known as the Western Stemmed Tradition. The artifacts were dated based on charcoal that
