Horse Jaw pushes date of humans in North America back 10,000 years

From Smithsonian Magazine story by Lorraine Boissoneault, JAN 31, 2017

“The earliest bone to show distinct human-made marks—a horse jaw, sawed by a stone tool that indicates the hunter was attempting to remove the tongue—dates to 24,000 years ago.

The horse mandible was the most exciting find for Canadian scientist Lauriane Bourgeon. It bears multiple straight cuts, very similar to those made by stone tools and distinct in shape from marks made by carnivore teeth and natural abrasion. Additionally, the cuts match the patterns that would be created from butchering the horse. Altogether, Bourgeon says, the marks on the bone fulfill multiple criteria that would classify them as having a cultural origin, whereas it would be hard to explain their existence by natural processes.”

Slatta

Administrator

Prof. Rich Slatta has taught history at NC State since 1980. In July 2016 he semi-retired and now teaches HI 216 online. He specializes in modern Latin America and comparative ranching frontiers of the Americas. Slatta also directed the university's First Year Inquiry program from 2009 to 2016. He has published 10 books, including Cowboys of the Americas, Comparing Cowboys and Frontiers, The Mythical West, The Cowboy Encyclopedia, Cowboy: The Illustrated History, Latin America: An Interactive History Lab (online book), Bandidos, Simon Bolivar's Quest for Glory, and Gauchos and the Vanishing Frontier.

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Horse Jaw pushes date of humans in North America back 10,000 years

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