Assessment Questions 7.15

1. What is the consensus among archaeologists regarding the timing and direction of the earliest human settlement of the New World?

The consensus among archaeologists is that people living in northern Siberia around 30,000 years ago expanded to the east during Pleistocene sea level decline, entering America by about 26,000 years ago. Over thousands of years, they spread out to fill up two continents.

2. How has the consensus evolved over time, and what disciplines have contributed to it?

The consensus has evolved as new data have been collected, especially regarding the depth of the antiquity of the migration. Archaeologists, geologists, biological anthropologists, paleoclimatologists, among others, have contributed to forming and evolving this consensus.

3. What is the undercurrent of skepticism mentioned in the passage, and what do some archaeologists question?

Some archaeologists have expressed skepticism concerning the timing of the first entry into the Americas and the fundamental validity of the Beringian paradigm. They question whether the migration occurred as per the consensus timeline.