Who Came First? New Clues to Prehistoric Americans - Hardcover

Lauber, Patricia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0792282280 ISBN 13: 9780792282280

Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books, 2003

Synopsis

All of the people who came to the Americas many thousands of years ago walked across the Bering Land Bridge between Siberia and Alaska. Right? Wrong! Some early Americans did come that way, but tantalizing evidence shows that many did not. How do you explain a settlement 14,800 years old near the southern coast of Chile when glaciers still covered most of Canada and made land travel virtually impossible? Or that the oldes human skull found in the Americas is that of a woman who lived in southern Brazil? Or that the oldest human settlement in North America is located near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, not in the West as one would have expected? New evidence is pouring in, as archaeologists dig further and combine their work with that of linguists, geneticists, climatologists, and scientists in other related disciplines. Come along with Pat Lauber as she explores what new evidence is being found and what it means for one of history’s most intriguing mysteries: Where did early Americans come from and how did they get here?

About this title

Reviews

Grade 5-8-Humans first arrived in the Americas via a land bridge from Asia. Big-game hunters all, these prehistoric people (named Clovis, from the first location site of their artifacts) entered a new and unpeopled world, and ultimately became the ancestors of today's Native Americans. So goes the long-held theory, anyway. Now, in a carefully researched, clearly written text, Lauber presents recent archaeological finds that challenge this single-source theory. Kennewick Man in Washington state, Spirit Cave Man in Nevada, and the skull of "Luzia" in Brazil are among the discoveries that predate the Clovis culture, or show radical physiological differences that preclude simple Clovis lineage. Citing the work of physical anthropologists, archaeologists, geneticists, and linguists, Lauber lucidly describes the way science actually works: how new finds shed new light on prevailing theories, and how new techniques are applied to old materials. Clear, color photos depict tangible finds-skulls, projectile points, tools, a pair of sandals-while softly colored illustrations present a world that might have been. Accompanied by maps, diagrams, and a time line, information boxes also discuss carbon-14 dating and facial reconstruction. Slim, oversized, and handsome, a compilation of mysteries without solid solution, this intriguing work will fascinate inquiring minds and challenge the complacent surety of older works already on your shelves. Engrossing.
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

*Starred Review* Gr. 5-10. Who were the first Americans? Where did they come from? How did they get here? When did they come? In a lively narrative that draws readers right into crucial research going on now, Lauber weaves together geology, archaeology, genetics, anthropology, language, and shows how some recent archaeological findings challenge the classical theory that the first peoples came to Alaska from Siberia and settled first in the American Southwest. New evidence, including the recent discovery of an ancient skeleton in Washington suggests that people might have arrived much earlier from Europe. Several Native American nations have claimed the skeleton and want to bury it as their religious beliefs demand; but scientists have sued the government to keep the bones for study. Especially compelling are the questions raised and the details about how experts work. How is carbon-14 dating done? What does it prove? The inviting, spacious, magazine-style design, with lots of paintings, maps, photos, and screened insets, makes the complex information accessible. With so much to talk about, this will make a great cross-curricular classroom title, which will interest adults as well as the target readership. Includes a bibliography and Web sites. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0792282280
• ISBN 13: 9780792282280
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 64