- Shég’ Xdaltth’i’ shows early human habitation at the edge of the Bering Land Bridge.
- Inhabitants hunted mammoths, bison, and caribou, indicating local ecological diversity.
- Artifacts found at the site include diamond-shaped bifacial points, demonstrating early technology.
- The research aids in understanding how humans adapted to environmental challenges and evolved.
According to researchers from the University of Kansas, a weathered ridge located above the Tanana River in Alaska provides a detailed perspective on human life around 14,000 years ago at the edge of the Bering Land Bridge. The site, named Shég’ Xdaltth’i’, features three early habitation layers dating back to 13,800, 13,000, and 12,700 years ago, with the team reporting their findings in the journal Science Advances. Its Athabascan name means "they were once there," indicating that these settlers were not merely passing through.
Kelly Graf, an anthropology professor at the University of Kansas, noted that this small ridge overlooks a major river system. Currently, it is covered with spruce trees, but during the late Ice Age, it supported a shrub tundra. Graf co-authored the paper with Kansas colleagues Ted Goebel, doctoral student Mia Harbort, undergraduate Mason Sewing, and other researchers from the United States and Europe.
Hunting Activities of Early Humans
Animal remains indicate that the inhabitants hunted mammoths, bison, and horses, which are now extinct, as well as caribou, which still roam in Alaska and are an important resource for local Indigenous peoples. Graf stated that the Bering region is rich with evidence of large animal hunting. One of her favorite discoveries is a large stone anvil found within a habitation feature, surrounded by shattered bison bones and hammerstones made of quartz and quartzite. The team believes these inhabitants may have been breaking bones to extract marrow and produce grease, and that a large earth oven was located nearby.
Significance of the Artifacts
Bird bones were also fashioned into needles. The most representative artifacts include numerous diamond-shaped bifacial points, which may have served as sharp tips for weapons. Graf noted that this site is the only one in Alaska with distinctly diamond-shaped artifacts. Currently, similar points are found only on the Russian side of the land bridge in the north, suggesting that people may have traveled back and forth between this site and the land bridge.
Graf has been trekking to the site since 2013, visiting annually until the COVID-19 pandemic, after which she returned in 2021, 2023, and plans to return in 2025. She has received several grants from the National Science Foundation totaling US$400,000 (approximately HK$3,120,000). The excavation has produced over 80,000 specimens, including a unique handle biface, bone tools, a variety of animal remains, and well-preserved activity areas.
Residential activities in the Bering region are concentrated in an area slightly larger than the state of Maryland. Graf pointed out that the Bering Land Bridge formed about 35,000 years ago and disappeared around 12,000 years ago due to rising sea levels. She stated that past experiences demonstrate how humans have adapted to life's challenges, and studying early humans helps us understand ourselves today. She mentioned that this species originally consisted of only a few individuals, yet now exceeds 8 billion, which is just a moment in geological time.
Insights from Ancient Archaeology on Human Adaptability
The archaeological findings in Alaska not only reveal the lifestyles of early humans but also reflect how they adapted to their environment at the time. The hunting practices and tool-making techniques of these settlers demonstrate their profound understanding and utilization of the ecosystem. As climate change and environmental shifts occur, the adaptability of early humans became crucial for survival, providing important historical perspectives for today's challenges related to climate change.