Study Revises Monte Verde Age to 4,200-8,200 Years Ago

A new study has challenged the long-accepted age of Monte Verde, one of South America's most significant archaeological sites, suggesting that human occupation there occurred thousands of years later than previously estimated. Researchers led by archaeologist Todd Surovell of the University of Wyoming analyzed sediments and geological features at the site in southern Chile, concluding that artifacts date to between 4,200 and 8,200 years ago, rather than the 14,500 years ago indicated by earlier work. The findings, published Thursday in the journal Science, propose that older organic materials were redeposited by a nearby creek, skewing past radiocarbon dates.

Monte Verde, discovered in 1977 near Chinchihuapi Creek about 36 miles from the Pacific coast, has been pivotal in debates over the peopling of the Americas. Excavations uncovered well-preserved artifacts, including wooden tools, cordage, stone implements, hearths, human footprints, and remains of edible plants and extinct megafauna. Initial analyses, directed by anthropologist Tom Dillehay of Vanderbilt University, placed the site's main occupation layer, known as Monte Verde II, in the late Pleistocene period, predating...