Background
In 1929 a 19 year old boy, named Ridgely Whiteman, found some projectile point near the town Clovis in New Mexico. Soon archaeologists found more points and mammoth bones, who clearly had been handled by humans. Radio carbon dating dated the bones to around 13.500 years old, making it the oldest remains of human settlement found in America at that time. Later points were found all over North-America, and a few in South America. For decades this was the main theory about the first human settlement in America. 13.500 years ago the Ice Age was ending and large glaciers in North America were disappearing. This gave humans opportunity to walk over an iceless land bridge over the Bering Strait. However older remains have been found in America, so the Clovis culture was clearly not the first humans in America.



Status today
For decades the Clovis culture was thought to be the first Americans. However older remains have since been found in North-and South America. Today scientists consider that the Clovis culture is not the first humans in America.
​