Pre-Clovis People in America: The Solutrean Hypothesis

For over 70-years the commonly held, scientific belief among anthropologists and archaeologists is that the earliest known settlers to the continent of North America date not much further than 12-14,000 years ago.The proposed people were of Asian descent who migrated across the Bering Straight land bridge in the last ice age. These people today are directly related to Inuit and Eskimo tribes, as well as the Native American tribes.This theory has stood up to scientific scrutiny making the land bridge migration one of the more well-attested facts in archaeology and anthropology. To the scientists, these paleo-indian people are commonly referred to as the Clovis People. Their name derives from one the first and oldest sites found in Clovis, New Mexico, that helped spark interest in American anthropology.From the first initial discoveries of bone, pottery, and weaponry, it was commonly accepted to cap the migration at around 12-14,000 years ago, and that no human (or Pre-human) population existed in the Americas before this time.Over the last 15 or so years, mounting evidence to the contrary has been surfacing pointing to a much earlier migration -- as early as 25,000 years in pre-history. Physical evidence in the form of arrowheads, bone structure, and DNA point to something even more bizarre. The theory, known as the Solutrean Hypothesis, alleges that early Europeans in the South of France, known as the Solutrean people, migrated thousands of years before the Clovis people. They are also referred to as "Pre-Clovis."This theory has met considerable resistance over the years for challenging long accepted anthropological history about the America's. Some reject the theory out of hand and others have grown more accepting of the theory as new evidence emerges.I would like to discuss any and all things relating to this topic to hear points on both sides of the argument, because quite honestly I don't know much about it but am intrigued by it.What I do NOT want is this thread being hijacked by Young-earth creationists postulating that the earth is only 6-7,500 years old and that the whole anthropolgical history is bunk.With that, were there people in America before 12,000 years ago, and if so, were they European, and if so, how did they get here and what was their fate? Did they copulate with other indigenous populations and become assimilated? Were they massacred? What happened to them, or did they not exist at all?Is the Solutrean Hypothesis valid?

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"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." -- Charlton Heston

I think the tools were just the first tip that led a minority view. The other corresponding evidence was that such tools were found in deeper stratum than what was previously believed. The larger piece of evidence was through cranial comparisons and mtDNA, like Kennewick Man.Kennewick Man, however, could have belonged to the Ainu people which have a superficial caucasoid appearance, but are in fact not closely related at all. Since the Ainu inhabited parts of Asia and places like the Kamchatka peninsula, them passing through the Bering land bridge would make more sense than crossing the Atlantic.One thing seems fairly obvious, however, which is that whomever reached the America's had done so long before what was previously believed. Besides Kennewick Man, an even older skeleton carbon dated at 13,600 years was discovered in Mexico. To migrate that far south must at least push back the initial crossing several hundreds of years, if not at least an extra thousand.Regardless, their is a growing number of dissenters who are actually considering the Pre-Clovis theory. Yes, I've thought of that. I think what they are saying is that the tools they have found in Siberia, Alaska, Canada, etc are vastly different. It is possible that later cultures developed a better spear head, but why the sudden departure?In any event, I see spearhead as anecdotal or circumstantial evidence. The real evidence lies within the bones themselves and the DNA which can be extracted. There does not seem to be a consensus on that point. More people are giving the Solutrean hypothesis a closer look and others think it is preposterous. Edited by Hyroglyphx, : No reason given.Edited by Hyroglyphx, : No reason given.

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"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." -- Charlton Heston

Some of the oldest skeletons in North America have been found in the Channel islands off the coast of California, and others in Oregon. Clearly their was a coastal migration all the way down to Tierra del Fuego.Are you saying what is going to change is the dates with which the first wave of migrations took place as opposed to whom made the journeys?

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"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." -- Charlton Heston

Wow, what a strange coincidence that your group has been going over a similar topic.Please be sure to post any information. I would be very intrigued.

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"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." -- Charlton Heston