Anzick-1 was a young (1–2 years old) Paleoindian child whose remains were found in south central Montana , United States , in 1968. He has been dated to 12,990–12,840 years Before Present . The child was found with more than 115 tools made of stone and antlers and dusted with red ocher , suggesting a deliberate burial. Anzick-1 is the only human whose remains are associated with the Clovis culture , and is the first ancient Native American genome to be fully sequenced.
58-654: Fertile Crescent : Europe : Africa : Siberia : The Solutrean / s ə ˈ lj uː t r i ə n / industry is a relatively advanced flint tool-making style of the Upper Paleolithic of the Final Gravettian , from around 22,000 to 17,000 BP . Solutrean sites have been found in modern-day France, Spain and Portugal. The term Solutrean comes from the type-site of " Cros du Charnier ", dating to around 21,000 years ago and located at Solutré , in east-central France near Mâcon . The Rock of Solutré site
116-589: A 'pivot area' surrounded by an 'inner crescent', Alfred Thayer Mahan's Middle East , and Friedrich Naumann's Mitteleuropa . In current usage, the Fertile Crescent includes Israel , Palestine , Iraq , Syria , Lebanon , Egypt , and Jordan , as well as the surrounding portions of Turkey and Iran . In addition to the Tigris and Euphrates , riverwater sources include the Jordan River . The inner boundary
174-644: A Danish genetic researcher, visited several Indian reservations in Montana in 2013 to try to engage community members in the decision-making related to the research of Anzick-1. He met with Shane Doyle, who became a co-author of the paper. A member of the Crow tribe , Doyle works in Native American studies at Montana State University. There were mixed opinions about the research conducted on Anzick-1, but many tribal members said that they would prefer to have been contacted before
232-542: A genetic researcher. She hoped to conduct genomic analysis on the Anzick-1 skeleton. She was cautious because a previous case, involving the ancient remains of a Native American called Kennewick Man , caused a great deal of controversy. Because Anzick-1 was discovered on private property, Sarah Anzick was not legally required to consult tribal members before conducting analysis of the remains. She discussed her goals with representatives of several Montana tribes that now inhabit
290-485: A greater genetic complexity among Native Americans than previously thought, including an early divergence in the genetic lineage some 13,000 years ago. One theory suggested that after crossing into North America from Siberia, a group of the first Americans, with the lineage D4h3a, moved south along the Pacific coast and finally, through thousands of years, into Central and South America. Another line may have moved inland, east of
348-557: A lack of evidence of Solutrean seafaring, lack of specific Solutrean features and tools in Clovis technology, the difficulties of the route, and other issues. In 2014, the autosomal DNA of a male infant ( Anzick-1 ) from a 12,500-year-old deposit in Montana was sequenced. The skeleton was found in close association with several Clovis artifacts. Comparisons showed strong affinities with DNA from Siberian sites, and virtually ruled out any close affinity of Anzick-1 with European sources. The DNA of
406-551: A long history of irrigation. Prehistoric seedless figs were discovered at Gilgal I in the Jordan Valley , suggesting that fig trees were being planted some 11,400 years ago. Cereals were already grown in Syria as long as 9,000 years ago. Small cats ( Felis silvestris ) also were domesticated in this region. Also, legumes including peas , lentils and chickpea were domesticated in this region. Domesticated animals include
464-674: A transitional stage between the flint implements of the Mousterian and the bone implements of the Magdalenian epochs. Faunal finds include horses, reindeer , ibex , mammoths , cave lions , rhinoceroses , bears and aurochs . Solutrean finds have also been made in the caves of Les Eyzies and Laugerie-Haute [ fr ] , and in the Lower Beds of Creswell Crags in Derbyshire , England (Proto-Solutrean). The industry first appeared in what
522-454: Is believed to be the first region where settled farming emerged as people started the process of clearance and modification of natural vegetation to grow newly domesticated plants as crops . Early human civilizations such as Sumer in Mesopotamia flourished as a result. Technological advances in the region include the development of agriculture and the use of irrigation , of writing ,
580-629: Is delimited by the dry climate of the Syrian Desert to the south. Around the outer boundary are the Anatolian and Armenian highlands to the north, the Sahara Desert to the west, Sudan to the south, and the Iranian plateau to the east. As crucial as rivers and marshlands were to the rise of civilization in the Fertile Crescent, they were not the only factor. The area is geographically important as
638-578: Is now Spain, and disappears from the archaeological record around 17,000 BP. The Solutrean hypothesis argues that people from Europe may have been among the earliest settlers of the Americas. Its notable recent proponents include Dennis Stanford of the Smithsonian Institution and Bruce Bradley of the University of Exeter . This hypothesis contrasts with the mainstream archaeological consensus that
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#1732845133017696-510: Is questionable if artifacts found at the site such as the Clovis points were actually produced by Anzick-1's community. Anzick-1's skeletal remains included 28 cranial fragments comprising much of the calvaria , the left clavicle, and several ribs. These bones were discovered in highly fragmented states; however, partial reconstruction of the crania allowed for age estimation , investigation of basic health indicators, and some information about cultural practices. Originally, investigators thought
754-534: Is that they used boats to sail along the coast of Siberia, the Beringia land bridge, and the Pacific coast of North America. Archeological evidence at the former area of the land bridge or a coastal path has been lost because of the rise in sea levels. The Anzick-1 paleogenetic analysis lends support to the Beringia Hypothesis theory, showing that humans had arrived in Montana by nearly 13,000 years ago. Studying
812-539: Is unknown, but may have served as foreshafts to which stone points were hafted . Genetic analysis of the antler rods found with Anzick-1 indicates that the antlers used to create the artifacts were those of elk , representing some of the oldest records of elk in North America south of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The antlers were radiocarbon dated to between 56 and 483 years before Anzick-1's death and as such, it
870-466: The Basques and Canary Islanders of the same time period, as the studies demonstrate those ancient peoples to be "clearly associated with modern Europeans". Additionally, no evidence from the studies demonstrates Cro-Magnon influence, contrary to former suggestions. The studies further suggest a diffusion of this diverse population away from the Fertile Crescent, with the early migrants moving away from
928-516: The Bronze Age , the region's natural fertility has been greatly extended by irrigation works, upon which much of its agricultural production continues to depend. The last two millennia have seen repeated cycles of decline and recovery as past works have fallen into disrepair through the replacement of states, to be replaced under their successors. Another ongoing problem has been salination —gradual concentration of salt and other minerals in soils with
986-499: The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was not required in their study. However, some Native American tribal members in Montana felt they should have been consulted before the researchers undertook analysis of the infant's skeleton and genome. Montana State law does require consultation with Native Americans concerning disposition of ancient skeletal remains. After consultation, Anzick-1
1044-520: The Near East —westward into Europe and North Africa , northward to Crimea , and northeastward to Mongolia . They took their agricultural practices with them and interbred with the hunter-gatherers whom they subsequently came in contact with while perpetuating their farming practices. This supports prior genetic and archaeological studies which have all arrived at the same conclusion. Consequently, contemporary in situ peoples absorbed
1102-748: The Portuguese Magazine of Archaeology from 2001 examined a Solutrean female individual whose physical remains are described as "having postcranial elements that derive from a relatively small and gracile individual". The teeth of Solutrean individuals are described as being similar in appearance to those belonging to the people of the Gravettian. Analysis of genomics of Solutrean-related individuals has found that they are unrelated to ancient or modern Native Americans and are instead related to earlier Western European Cro-Magnons , particularly earlier Gravettian-producing individuals from France and Spain, as well to
1160-996: The Tigris–Euphrates river basin , including Sumer , Akkad , Babylonia , Assyria , and the Abbasid Caliphate . It is in this region where the first libraries appeared about 4,500 years ago. The oldest known libraries are found in Nippur (in Sumer) and Ebla (in Syria), both from c. 2500 BCE . Both the Tigris and Euphrates start in the Taurus Mountains of what is modern-day Turkey . Farmers in southern Mesopotamia had to protect their fields from flooding each year. Northern Mesopotamia had sufficient rain to make some farming possible. To protect against flooding they made levees. Since
1218-474: The cattle , sheep , goat , domestic pig , cat , and domestic goose . Mesopotamia Egypt Iran Anatolia The Levant Arabia Cosmology Modern analyses comparing 24 craniofacial measurements reveal a relatively diverse population within the pre- Neolithic , Neolithic and Bronze Age Fertile Crescent, supporting the view that several populations occupied this region during these time periods. Similar arguments do not hold true for
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#17328451330171276-663: The peopling of the Americas , which posits a migration of early Amerindians from Siberia across a land bridge that spanned the Bering Strait . This hypothesis is supported by genetic and archaeological evidence that places the migration no earlier than 32,000 years ago. Ancient Native Americans could have entered the New World across the Beringian land bridge, and passing south from Alaska through an ice-free corridor in Canada. Another concept
1334-564: The wheel , and glass , most emerging first in Mesopotamia . The term "Fertile Crescent" was popularized by archaeologist James Henry Breasted in Outlines of European History (1914) and Ancient Times, A History of the Early World (1916). He wrote: It lies like an army facing south, with one wing stretching along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean and the other reaching out to
1392-523: The "bridge" between North Africa and Eurasia , which has allowed it to retain a greater amount of biodiversity than either Europe or North Africa , where climate changes during the Ice Age led to repeated extinction events when ecosystems became squeezed against the waters of the Mediterranean Sea . The Saharan pump theory posits that this Middle Eastern land bridge was extremely important to
1450-462: The Americas nearly 13,000 years ago, earlier than thought. These findings tend to support the Beringia Hypothesis of the peopling of the Americas, and tend to refute the Solutrean Hypothesis which argues for Pale-European migration to the New World and which had little academic support even prior to the sequencing of Anzick-1's genome. The Beringia Hypothesis is the mainstream model for
1508-502: The Anzick family. The Anzick-1 remains were found buried among numerous tools: 100 stone tools and 15 remnants of tools made of antler. The site contained hundreds of stone projectile points, bifaces and flake tools. All of the artifacts were covered in red ocher . The stone points were identified as those of the Clovis culture because of their distinct shape and size. Radiocarbon dating of
1566-587: The Anzick-1 sample showed strong affinities with sampled Native American populations, which indicated that the samples derive from an ancient population that lived in or near Siberia, the Upper Paleolithic Mal'ta population. Examination of physical remains from the Solutrean period has determined that they were of a slightly more gracile type than the preceding Gravettian culture. Males were rather tall, with some skeletons being up to 179 cm tall. Volume 4 of
1624-608: The Anzick-1 skeletal remains. They sequenced the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), the full nuclear DNA , and the Y-chromosome , and compared these sequences to those of modern populations throughout the world. The results of these analyses allowed the researchers to make conclusions about ancient migration patterns and the peopling of the Americas . These analyses revealed that the individual was closely related to Native Americans in Central and South America, instead of being closely related to
1682-507: The North American continent was first populated by people from Asia, either by the Bering land bridge (i.e. Beringia ) at least 13,500 years ago, or by maritime travel along the Pacific coast, or by both. The idea of a Clovis-Solutrean link remains controversial and does not enjoy wide acceptance. The hypothesis is challenged by large gaps in time between the Clovis culture and Solutrean eras,
1740-478: The Persian Gulf, while the center has its back against the northern mountains. The end of the western wing is Palestine; Assyria makes up a large part of the center; while the end of the eastern wing is Babylonia. [...] This great semicircle, for lack of a name, may be called the Fertile Crescent. There is no single term for this region in antiquity. At the time that Breasted was writing, it roughly corresponded with
1798-557: The Rocky Mountains, ultimately populating most of what is now the United States and Canada. The Y-chromosome of Anzick-1 was sequenced, and researchers determined that his Y-chromosome haplogroup is Q-L54 *(xM3), one of the major founding lineages of the Americas. Anzick-1's mtDNA, nuclear DNA, and Y-Chromosome analysis revealed a close genetic affinity to modern Native Americans and provided evidence of gene flow from Siberia into
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1856-440: The age estimation of 1–2 years old. δ C analysis of the remains of Anzick-1 (which probably reflect the diet of his mother) are more consistent with a diet primarily consisting of mammoth , possibly supplemented with those of deer and equines, rather than of bison, though there is uncertainty due to possible minor contamination. A team of researchers throughout the United States and Europe conducted paleogenetic research on
1914-432: The agricultural way of life of those early migrants who ventured out of the Fertile Crescent. This is contrary to the suggestion that the spread of agriculture disseminated out of the Fertile Crescent by way of sharing of knowledge. Instead, the view now supported by a preponderance of evidence is that it occurred by actual migration out of the region, coupled with subsequent interbreeding with indigenous local populations whom
1972-469: The area, to determine whether to use the required techniques (which destroy some material) to analyze the remains of Anzick-1. Because she was unable to achieve consensus, she temporarily gave up the project. She eventually conducted DNA analysis on the remains of Anzick-1. After the results of the analysis revealed a link between Anzick-1 and modern Native Americans, the team of researchers sought consultation from several Montana tribes. Eske Willerslev ,
2030-408: The artefacts and the remains of Anzick-1 indicate an age of around 12,990–12,840 years Before Present for the burial. Skull fragments of a second individual (Anzick-2), a child of around 6-8 years of age, were also found at the site 6 metres (20 ft) east of Anzick-1, which lack ocher staining. The two individuals were originally thought to be contemporaneous, but later carbon dating revealed that
2088-586: The earliest era of prehistory, this debate is unlikely to be resolved in the near future. The evidence that does exist suggests that, by the third millennium BCE and into the second, several language groups already existed in the region. These included: Links between Hurro-Urartian and Hattic and the indigenous languages of the Caucasus have frequently been suggested, but are not generally accepted. 36°N 40°E / 36°N 40°E / 36; 40 Anzick-1 Paleogenomic analysis of
2146-491: The evolution of many "r" type annual plants , which produce more edible seeds than "K" type perennial plants . The region's dramatic variety in elevation gave rise to many species of edible plants for early experiments in cultivation. Most importantly, the Fertile Crescent was home to the eight Neolithic founder crops important in early agriculture (i.e., wild progenitors to emmer wheat , einkorn , barley , flax , chick pea , pea , lentil , bitter vetch ), and four of
2204-460: The five most important species of domesticated animals— cows , goats , sheep , and pigs ; the fifth species, the horse , lived nearby. The Fertile Crescent flora comprises a high percentage of plants that can self-pollinate , but may also be cross-pollinated . These plants, called " selfers ", were one of the geographical advantages of the area because they did not depend on other plants for reproduction. As well as possessing many sites with
2262-473: The haplogroup D4h3a, a "founder" haplogroup that might represent people taking an early coastal migration route into the Americas. The D haplogroup is also found in modern Native American populations, which provides a link between Anzick-1 and modern Native Americans. Although it is rare in most of today's Native Americans in the US and Canada, D4h3a genes are more common in native people of South America. This suggests
2320-629: The left clavicle showed evidence of cremation, but further analysis revealed that the discoloration was the result of groundwater staining and not fire. Additionally, all of the Anzick-1 remains were stained with ocher, which masks the natural color of the infant's bones. Due to the incomplete nature of the remains of Anzick-1, no cause of death could be ascertained. The age at death of an individual can be determined from several skeletal markers, including cranial suture closure, tooth eruption rates, rates of epiphyseal fusion on long bones, and others. Cranial bones fuse together along suture lines throughout
2378-419: The life of every human, and can be used to estimate the age at death of human remains. The small size and lack of suture closure of Anzick-1's crania revealed that the individual was 1–2 years old. The metopic suture is also present in the frontal bone of Anzick-1. This suture is present in most human infants but closes well before adulthood. The presence of a frontal suture in Anzick-1's remains corroborates
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2436-450: The migrants came in contact with. The studies show also that not all present day Europeans share strong genetic affinities to the Neolithic and Bronze Age inhabitants of the Fertile Crescent; the closest ties to the Fertile Crescent rest with Southern Europeans. The same study further demonstrates all present-day Europeans to be closely related. Linguistically, the Fertile Crescent
2494-464: The modern distribution of Old World flora and fauna , including the spread of humanity . The area has borne the brunt of the tectonic divergence between the African and Arabian plates and the converging Arabian and Eurasian plates, which has made the region a very diverse zone of high snow-covered mountains. The Fertile Crescent had many diverse climates , and major climatic changes encouraged
2552-507: The people of the Canadian Arctic, as had previously been thought likely. (The people of the Arctic are distinct from Native Americans to the south, including in lower North America and Central and South America.) The infant was also related to persons from Siberia and Central Asia, believed to be the ancestral population of indigenous peoples in the Americas. This finding supports the theory that
2610-501: The peopling of the Americas occurred from Asia across the Bering Strait. The genome of Anzick-1 was sequenced and analyzed to look for specific mutations that might shed light on the population history of modern Native Americans. Anzick-1's genome was compared to over 50 Native American genomes for comparison, and researchers found that it was significantly more similar to these than to any modern Eurasian population. Anzick-1's genome
2668-486: The producers of the subsequent Magdalenian culture. Fertile Crescent The Fertile Crescent ( Arabic : الهلال الخصيب ) is a crescent-shaped region in the Middle East , spanning modern-day Iraq , Israel , Jordan , Lebanon , Palestine , and Syria , together with northern Kuwait , south-eastern Turkey , and western Iran . Some authors also include Cyprus and northern Egypt . The Fertile Crescent
2726-438: The remains and artifacts of Native Americans found on federal lands or stored by institutions that receive federal funding. It requires restoration of remains and artifacts to tribes associated with the remains or culture. After the remains of Anzick-1 were excavated in 1968, they were analyzed by several teams of researchers and eventually returned to the Anzick family. The daughter of the Anzick family, Sarah Anzick had become
2784-414: The remains of ancient Native Americans has been described as an "ethical minefield" because it calls into question "ownership" and interpretation of the past. Historically Native American remains were routinely excavated and analyzed without the consultation with, or permission of, contemporary Native Americans. Under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act passed in 1990 US law protects
2842-466: The remains revealed Siberian ancestry and a closer genetic relationship to modern Native Americans of Central and South America than to those of North America . These findings support the hypothesis that modern Native Americans are descended from Asian populations who crossed Beringia between 23,000 and 14,000 years ago. Anzick-1's discovery and subsequent analysis has been controversial. The remains were found on private land, so compliance with
2900-465: The rivers Tigris and Euphrates , lies in the east of the Fertile Crescent), also saw the emergence of early complex societies during the succeeding Bronze Age . There is also early evidence from the region for writing and the formation of hierarchical state level societies. This has earned the region the nickname "The cradle of civilization ". From ancient times empires arose and fell in
2958-810: The skeletal and cultural remains of both pre-modern and early modern humans (e.g., at Tabun and Es Skhul caves), later Pleistocene hunter-gatherers , and Epipalaeolithic semi-sedentary hunter-gatherers (the Natufians ); the Fertile Crescent is most famous for its sites related to the origins of agriculture . The western zone around the Jordan and upper Euphrates rivers gave rise to the first known Neolithic farming settlements (referred to as Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA)), which date to around 9,000 BCE and includes very ancient sites such as Göbekli Tepe , Chogha Golan , and Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) . This region, alongside Mesopotamia (Greek for "between rivers", between
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#17328451330173016-510: The skull fragments of Anzick-2 date to around 9530 to 9600 years ago, several thousand years younger than Anzick-1, and thus was unrelated to the Anzick-1 and the Clovis artefacts. The tools found at the site appear to exhibit use-wear, and therefore were not manufactured specifically for the burial. The antler artifacts were in the form of rods at least some of which appeared to have been beveled. Similar rods have been found at other Clovis culture and Paleoindian sites. The function of these rods
3074-577: The territories of the Ottoman Empire ceded to Britain and France in the Sykes–Picot Agreement . Historian Thomas Scheffler has noted that Breasted was following a trend in Western geography to "overwrite the classical geographical distinctions between continents, countries and landscapes with large, abstract spaces", drawing parallels with the work of Halford Mackinder , who conceptualised Eurasia as
3132-865: Was a region of great diversity. Historically, Semitic languages generally prevailed in the modern regions of Iraq , Syria , Jordan , Lebanon , Israel , Palestine , Sinai and the fringes of southeast Turkey and northwest Iran , as well as the Sumerian (a language isolate ) in Iraq, whilst in the mountainous areas to the east and north a number of generally unrelated language isolates were found, including; Elamite , Gutian and Kassite in Iran , and Hattic , Kaskian and Hurro-Urartian in Turkey. The precise affiliation of these, and their date of arrival, remain topics of scholarly discussion. However, given lack of textual evidence for
3190-471: Was closer to 44 Native American populations from Central and South America than to 7 Native American populations from North America; samples from North America were limited as tribes in the United States have been reluctant to participate. Morten Rasmussen and Sarah L. Anzick et al. sequenced the mitochondrial DNA of Anzick-1 and determined that the infant represents an ancient migration to North America from Siberia . They found that Anzick-1's mtDNA belongs to
3248-936: Was discovered in 1866 by the French geologist and paleontologist Henry Testot-Ferry . It is now preserved as the Parc archéologique et botanique de Solutré . The industry was named by Gabriel de Mortillet to describe the second stage of his system of cave chronology, following the Mousterian , and he considered it synchronous with the third division of the Quaternary period. The era's finds include tools, ornamental beads, and bone pins as well as prehistoric art . Solutrean tool-making employed techniques not seen before and not rediscovered for millennia. The Solutrean has relatively finely worked, bifacial points made with lithic reduction percussion and pressure flaking rather than flintknapping . Knapping
3306-534: Was done using antler batons , hardwood batons and soft stone hammers. This method permitted the working of delicate slivers of flint to make light projectiles and even elaborate barbed and tanged arrowheads. Large thin spearheads; scrapers with edge not on the side but on the end; flint knives and saws, but all still chipped, not ground or polished; long spear-points, with tang and shoulder on one side only, are also characteristic implements of this industry. Bone and antler were used as well. The Solutrean may be seen as
3364-588: Was reburied on June 28, 2014, in the Shields River Valley in an intertribal ceremony. The numerous Clovis artifacts associated with the first burial are curated at the Montana Historical Society in Helena, Montana. The Anzick site was accidentally discovered by two construction workers in a collapsed rock shelter near Wilsall, Montana , on private land. The remains were found on the ranch of
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