Dr. Tom Dillehay

hovering around maybe 13,000, 13,500 years ago. There's some sites up north in Colombia and Peru, Ecuador, maybe 13,800 years ago. And on the coast of northern Peru, in the desert, Guacapieta, where I excavated with a colleague of mine, Duccio Bonavia, Peruvian-Italian. And that dated around 14,500 years ago, maybe a little older.

hovering around maybe 13,000, 13,500 years ago. There's some sites up north in Colombia and Peru, Ecuador, maybe 13,800 years ago. And on the coast of northern Peru, in the desert, Guacapieta, where I excavated with a colleague of mine, Duccio Bonavia, Peruvian-Italian. And that dated around 14,500 years ago, maybe a little older.

And what it is, is a remnant terrace of the late Pleistocene, nearly 100,000 years ago, that looks like a pitch of two soccer fields that are elevated up some five to six meters and sitting right on the ocean today back then they would have been about 15 kilometers from the ocean because the sea lanes were down but we found there Shark bones, big sharks, three meters long.

And what it is, is a remnant terrace of the late Pleistocene, nearly 100,000 years ago, that looks like a pitch of two soccer fields that are elevated up some five to six meters and sitting right on the ocean today back then they would have been about 15 kilometers from the ocean because the sea lanes were down but we found there Shark bones, big sharks, three meters long.

And what it is, is a remnant terrace of the late Pleistocene, nearly 100,000 years ago, that looks like a pitch of two soccer fields that are elevated up some five to six meters and sitting right on the ocean today back then they would have been about 15 kilometers from the ocean because the sea lanes were down but we found there Shark bones, big sharks, three meters long.

I don't know how they killed them or captured them, with large stone flakes that were seven, eight to 15 centimeters across, used for cutting. Preservation's not as good as Monte Verde. We found some seaweed there as well, in addition to collecting marine resources. Shellfish, they're fishing as well. And the environment at that time would have been a grassland, not a desert. Today, it's a desert.

I don't know how they killed them or captured them, with large stone flakes that were seven, eight to 15 centimeters across, used for cutting. Preservation's not as good as Monte Verde. We found some seaweed there as well, in addition to collecting marine resources. Shellfish, they're fishing as well. And the environment at that time would have been a grassland, not a desert. Today, it's a desert.

I don't know how they killed them or captured them, with large stone flakes that were seven, eight to 15 centimeters across, used for cutting. Preservation's not as good as Monte Verde. We found some seaweed there as well, in addition to collecting marine resources. Shellfish, they're fishing as well. And the environment at that time would have been a grassland, not a desert. Today, it's a desert.

But between that site and the ocean, there were a number of estuaries and edlets of brackish water. And probably fish and sharks with high tide were coming in. And we think there is how they're capturing the fish and maybe killing the sharks as well. Even today... In certain areas along the north coast of Peru, there's still people who use that technique. They wait until high tide.

But between that site and the ocean, there were a number of estuaries and edlets of brackish water. And probably fish and sharks with high tide were coming in. And we think there is how they're capturing the fish and maybe killing the sharks as well. Even today... In certain areas along the north coast of Peru, there's still people who use that technique. They wait until high tide.

But between that site and the ocean, there were a number of estuaries and edlets of brackish water. And probably fish and sharks with high tide were coming in. And we think there is how they're capturing the fish and maybe killing the sharks as well. Even today... In certain areas along the north coast of Peru, there's still people who use that technique. They wait until high tide.

Here comes the high tide washing with the fish. They get caught in small sharks too in low areas. So the people go out and club them today with baseball bats and club them to death, take them off and eat them.

Here comes the high tide washing with the fish. They get caught in small sharks too in low areas. So the people go out and club them today with baseball bats and club them to death, take them off and eat them.

Here comes the high tide washing with the fish. They get caught in small sharks too in low areas. So the people go out and club them today with baseball bats and club them to death, take them off and eat them.

In a desert environment. Back then it would have been a kind of a dry grassland environment, but those people were mainly exploiting the ocean, not the terrestrial resources.

In a desert environment. Back then it would have been a kind of a dry grassland environment, but those people were mainly exploiting the ocean, not the terrestrial resources.

In a desert environment. Back then it would have been a kind of a dry grassland environment, but those people were mainly exploiting the ocean, not the terrestrial resources.

Yeah, well, we found later, not at 14,500, but around 10,800 years ago at Huacapieta in the later levels, still foragers, maritime foragers, terrestrial foragers. We found evidence of avocado, squash, and chili pepper, all three dating about 10,500 years ago. And probably all three are non-domesticated, wild, okay? So this is indicating, again, same case with monthly burying.

Yeah, well, we found later, not at 14,500, but around 10,800 years ago at Huacapieta in the later levels, still foragers, maritime foragers, terrestrial foragers. We found evidence of avocado, squash, and chili pepper, all three dating about 10,500 years ago. And probably all three are non-domesticated, wild, okay? So this is indicating, again, same case with monthly burying.

Yeah, well, we found later, not at 14,500, but around 10,800 years ago at Huacapieta in the later levels, still foragers, maritime foragers, terrestrial foragers. We found evidence of avocado, squash, and chili pepper, all three dating about 10,500 years ago. And probably all three are non-domesticated, wild, okay? So this is indicating, again, same case with monthly burying.