Na-Dene
people occupy much of northwest and central North America. These
were the earliest ancestors of the Athabascan- speaking peoples,
including the Navajo and Apache.
All five species of native horse become extinct in the Americas
(horse reintroduced by Spanish around 1500 AD). But horses which
had crossed to Asia via the Bering land bridge survive.
The Derbent site in Nova Scotia, from about 10,000 BC, is a
village with large multi-family dwellings. It was used "seasonally",
which meant people did not live there year round, but might
live there for the summer to hunt and fish to gather food supplies
for the winter.
A very rare look at a face from the past. Using a mixture of
artistic skill and scientific theory, the face of this ancient
American woman who died more than 10,000 years ago has been
reconstructed. Based on the skeletal remains, the woman was
28 years old when she died. Her features show some similarity
with modern Mongolian people, but also show some differences.
This supports the theory that both the native Americans and
the modern inhabitants of central-east Asia had the same ancient
ancestors. The woman's remains were found at an archaeological
site near Austin, Texas. Her's was the second burial found at
the ancient settlement.
In south-central North America, the earliest known people are
called the Desert Archaic Culture by archaeologists, with sites
dating back between 11,000 and 12,000 years. These were nomadic
hunter-gatherers, who developed basketry, and used tools made
of stone, wood and bone. The area, now a dry desert, was then
cooler and more humid. People lived in extended family groups,
hunting small animals and collecting wild grains and roots,
moving as necessary when food supplies became scarce in an area
due to the changes in the season. Finds from this culture include
small, unfired clay sculptures of human figures.
25
years ago / 50 years ago
/ 80 years ago / 125
years ago / 150 years ago
250 years ago / 400
years ago / 700 years ago
/ 1,200 years ago
1,500 years ago / 2,000
years ago / 3,000 years
ago / 4,000 years ago
/ 5,000 years ago / 10,000
years ago
