Archaeological discovery in Alaska reveals ancient Beringia settlement

Archaeologist Kelly Graf and her team have uncovered significant findings at the Shég’ Xdaltth’í’ camp located near the Tanana River in interior Alaska. The site, which means ‘they were there’ in the Athabascan language, shows evidence of human occupation during three distinct periods: 13,800, 13,000, and 12,700 years ago.

Excavations spanning over a decade have yielded more than 80,000 artifacts, including a stone anvil surrounded by crushed bison bones, a large earth oven, and unique diamond-shaped stone points. These specific projectile points have not been found in other Alaskan sites but are present in Russian territories, suggesting a connection across the Beringia land bridge that once linked Asia and North America.

The well-preserved site includes dwellings and tools that provide insight into prehistoric life. Researchers noted that the inhabitants shared cultural traits with southern North American groups, such as the use of red ochre and ivory projectiles. These findings suggest a common way of life existed prior to the Clovis culture, challenging long-held archaeological assumptions about the earliest indigenous inhabitants of North America.