The First Americans: In Pursuit of Archaeology's Greatest Mystery

by Jake Page and J.M. Adovasio

Book Overview

Archaeologist J. M. Adovasio has spent the last thirty years at the center of one of our most fiery scientific debates: Who were the first humans in the Americas, and how and when did they get there?... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375505520
• ISBN13: 9780375505522
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A Solid Introduction to Pre-Clovis Archaeology

"The First Americans" is a very good introduction to the problems and latest theories relating to the peopling of the Americas. James Adovasio was the principal archaeologist at Meadowcroft Rockshelter, in Pennsylvania, for many years, and it was there that he conducted some of the most careful excavations since the beginning of scientific archaeology. Unfortunately the world was not ready to accept his findings, which were first expounded in the 1970s and stated that people arrived in the Americas much earlier than previously thought - long before the existence of Clovis spear points and before people could have emigrated across the Bering Land Bridge. However, something interesting happened in the closing years of the 20th century: the growing acceptance that the Monte Verde site in South America did indeed predate North American Clovis sites caused a crisis within the archaeological community. While this crisis is not completely settled, it is now generally accepted that maritime peoples travelling the coasts of the Americas arrived at some period before 10,000 BC - well before the start of Clovis culture. This book recounts this controversy from its beginnings in the 19th century right up until the start of the 21st century, and is a wonderful resource for both the general reader, and archaeologists whose specialities are in other time periods. Although it is extremely didactic at times, such as in its explanation of the usefulness of the Carbon 14 dating method, it is still extremely informative and a great book. As a professional archaeologist not trained in the Pre-Clovis/Paleoindian time period, I have not only found this book to be useful in my own forays into this era of prehistory, I literally could not put the book down. I enjoyed every minute of it, and recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about the earliest Americans!

Curious man

Humans are a curious lot. Here that curiosity is directed toward the prehistory of humans in the Americas. When did people get to North America? Where did they come from? What were they like? This book by a guy who has been involved in these questions all his professional life. And he knows many of the other professionals engaged in the same quest. He knows their work, and their prejudices. And most important, how they view his own work. This makes for a lively read indeed. This is a no-holds barred, Watson's Double Helix, view of the current archaeological scene. There are some pretty colorful characters here, and Adovasio has clearly had a good time getting his licks in. The history of the key digs, and the arguments with the Clovis first guys are vividly presented, and I enjoyed every bit of it. It amazes me, though, that after a century or so of the pursuit of answers, how little data has actually turned up. There seems to be only a couple of handfuls of informative sites, with only a few bones, some broken rocks, and not much else. Everything is questioned, at least somewhat plausibly, by someone. Confusion and chaos, lots of conjecture, and not enough money. The book has a reasonably good index, a terrific bibliography, no footnotes, and lots of pictures (hooray!). This investigation is clearly only its earliest stages of development, with an awful lot to be discovered yet. New techniques for going after the data will yet be developed, no doubt, and the coming decades will see more revolutions yet. I can't wait to see what comes next. I hope Adovasio is around to write about it.

Good to get his viewpoint.

This is a well written book that held my interest. It gives the story of Meadowcroft from the archeologist responsible for its excavation, and places it in the context of American archeological history and the author's own biography. While I wonder what the "other side" would have to say about it, the author makes a compelling case for the truth of his perspective, at the expense of his detractors. I recommend it.

Data demolishes dogma

As a young science, archaeology is necessarily dynamic. New discoveries, fresh insights, novel concepts emerge with almost dizzying frequency. Science is supposed to work on hypothesis testing - evidence confirms or refutes ideas. To discover that entrenched dogmas have been established, battlelines drawn and still contested, careers launched and destroyed is disheartening. To realise that the issue centres on a few stone tools renders the situation almost ludicrous - until we remember archaeology is the study of humanity. And humans, as Adovisio points out vividly, can cling tenaciously to favoured ideas - particularly those concerning humanity.Adovasio briefly relates the African origins and distribution of humanity across the globe. However, this story truly starts with the 1937 discovery of some finely crafted stone spearpoints in New Mexico. Debate over Indians as "noble savage" or "barbarous native" was sharply interrupted by this find. The workmanship and novel design of the "Clovis Points" demanded reconsideration of Native Americans - particularly of their origins and dispersal in the Western Hemisphere. Knowledge of the extent of the massive glaciers covering North American many millennia ago left but a small time window for Asian peoples to cross the Bering land bridge exposed during the glacial period. Who were these people? Adovasio asks. When did they arrive? How long did it take them to inhabit the hemisphere? What was their environmental impact?All these questions have been asked for many years. Adovasio's own research made a significant contribution when he excavated a rockshelter at Meadowcroft, Pennsylvania. Artefacts there were dated to a time far earlier than the Last Glacial Maximum [LGM] of just over eleven thousand years ago. Other sites, most notably the Monte Verde site in Chile have added data positing an earlier emigration from the Old World to the New. All this new information has challenged the dogma of "Clovis" being the "earliest Americans". It's not just an academic debate, Adovasio points out. Questions of site selection, investigation, testing procedures, retention of artefacts and human remains have all be raised. Indeed, with the Native American Graves Protection and Preservation Act [NAGPRA] some of these issues have been enshrined in law. He examines all the issues in exquisite detail, readily dismissing the more bizarre, such as the contention that the Western Hemisphere is the cradle of all humanity. Data must not only support or demolish dogma, it must support or demolish poorly conceived law.Adovasio's narrative becomes vigorously polemical at times. His stridency is forgiven when you recall he's spent three decades of defenders of the Clovis Bar shutting their minds to evidence - his and that of others. Although this is hardly an academic study, his assemblage of evidence and logic underpinning his assertions is a standard that any researcher would do well to review. He gives Pau

paleo confidential

I'll grudgingly agree that Dr. A's uncensored impatience with his critics can be distracting (not that I blame him) but it's such an overwhelmingly thorough and well-written report on an exciting topic I think the book transcends that small flaw. I'm a bit biased -- I was a student of Dr. A during the 70's at the University of Pittsburgh. He was the most rigorous archeologist I've ever met and quite a personality as well. As one of the book jacket reviewers noted, the book is "vintage Adovasio." He's a brilliant and interesting guy and the first reviewer here would miss a treat by not inviting him to dinner. As for the complaint about the "gratuitous" references to debauchery, there was only one comment I recall (send me the page numbers if I missed any others...) and that one contributed to clarifying the mind-boggling psychological and physical rigors of fieldwork. Indiana Jones would likely strangle himself with his own bullwhip if he were forced to work on a real site, lying on his belly scraping a 2 meter square down to bedrock with a toothbrush and a butter knife. Read the book and enjoy the real story of archeology, warts and all!