Posted February 2, 201312 yr I did not know a thing about Meadowcroft until yesterday. I had assumed that North America's oldest known human settlements and structures were in the Southwest USA. And until 1955 (later verified in the 1970s) that was all we knew. That was until a guy found some historic artifacts in a groundhog burrow near Avella, PA, between Mingo Junction (Steubenville area), Ohio and Pittsburgh, PA. Excavations weren't made at the site until the 1970s which revealed a rockshelter dwelling is at least 16,000 years old. Some estimates peg its age at 19,000 years! Either way, the settlement is the oldest known human habitation in North America. So if you lamented not living in a historical setting, like a medieval European town or near the first European settlements along the East Coast, they've got nothing on this! http://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/meadowcroft.aspx What's even more amazing to me is that this site was in near-continual habitation until the site hosted a museum and became a national historic landmark. After the Eastern Woodland people learned to build their own housing, they moved out of the rockshelter and into huts like these, recreated at Meadowcroft..... I think I will pay this site a visit soon, as it is only about two hours away! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 3, 201312 yr Interesting. I took a class in college that covered the topic of early man in North America. If I recall correctly, 15,000 to 16,000 years ago is about when it is believed that humans starting populating the continent. Verification of any type of 19,000 year old settlement would be quite notable. I live fairly close by too. I should check it out. Interesting. I wasn't sure when the first humans arrived. That explains why the 19,000 years figure is described as controversial. It's also surprising considering that this was "shortly" (in geologic time) after the maximum southern extent of glaciation about 21,000-26,000 years ago:(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Glacial_Maximum). Meadowcroft is awfully far north for a settlement for that era, and comes very close to the southern extent of glaciation in prior years. In fact, if this settlement was 200-400 miles west, it might have been under ice depending on how fast the ice receded at various locations.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
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