Meadowcroft Rockshelter
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Meadowcroft Rockshelter is an archaeological site located near Avella in Washington County, in southwestern Pennsylvania, United States. A rock shelter in a bluff overlooking Cross Creek (a tributary of the Ohio River), Meadowcroft Rockshelter is located about 36 miles west-southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The site was excavated from 1973 until 1978 by a University of Pittsburgh team led by James M. Adovasio. Radiocarbon dates from the site indicated occupancy as early as 16,000 years ago and possibly as long as 19,000 years ago. The "Clovis First" camp has tried to dispute the age of the findings, but generally their efforts have been dismissed. Although the dates are still controversial to some, archaeologists familiar with evidence from the site agree that Meadowcroft was used by Native Americans in the pre-Clovis era, and as such, provides evidence for very early human habitation of the Americas. In fact, if the 19,000 years ago dating is correct, Meadowcroft Rockshelter is the oldest known Native American cultural site. However, archaeologists agree that the 11,000-13,000 date for the rockshelter is accurate and widely accepted, which makes the concept of "Clovis First", simply not possible.
Meadowcroft Rockshelter has yielded Woodland, Archaic and Paleoindian remains, indicating evidence of the processing of animals, such as deer, elk, bird eggs, and mussels; as well as plants such as corn, squash, fruits, nuts and seeds. The site also has yielded many tools, including ceramics, bifaces, biface fragments, lamellar blades, a lanceolate projectile point and chipping debris. At least one basin-shaped hearth was reused over time.
It was given the name Meadowcroft from the nearby Meadowcroft Village historical park. Although sometimes referred to as "Meadowcroft Rock Shelter", the more accepted and popular term is "Meadowcroft Rockshelter".
[edit] References
- Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center page on Meadowcroft Rockshelter
- Minnesota State University emuseum
- James Adovasio and Jake Page, The First Americans: In Pursuit of Archaeology's Greatest Mystery, 2003, ISBN 0-375-75704-X.
- Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Museum of Rural Life
- "The Greatest Journey," James Shreeve, National Geographic, March 2006, pg. 64. Shows dates 19,000 to 12,000 years ago; as well as Clovis (13,500 years ago) and Monte Verde 14,800 years ago.
[edit] Further reading
- Adovasio, J. M., with Jack Page. The First Americans: In Pursuit of Archaeology's Greatest Mystery. New York: Random House, 2002. Chapter 7 focuses on the Meadowcroft Rockshelter; the rest of the book sets the dig and the controversy surrounding it in a broader scholarly context.
