How do we find sites with evidence of early humans?

Field Survey

We conduct pedestrian surveys in areas where there are geological deposits that are more than 13,000 years old. Many sites are buried very deep as shown in the photograph above of the La Sena Mammoth Site in Nebraska.

Excavation

Careful excavation of early human sites in critical in their interpretation. We have conducted excavation of  mammoth bone broken by humans at the Lovewell II Mammoth Site in Kansas.

Experimental Archaeology

In order to understand past human behaviors we often conduct experimental archaeology projects to replicate the technology used by ancient peoples. See the research update for a video that shows how early humans in the Americas broke mammoth bone by breaking modern elephant bone with a rock hammer.

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Dr. Holen received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Nebraska and his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas.  He has been conducting archaeology research on sites from the historic territorial period back to the Paleoindian period on the Great Plains for the past 40 years.  Most recently his research has focused on the search for evidence of the earliest humans in the Americas.  His research interests include geoarchaeology, late Pleistocene climate change and its impact on early humans, megafaunal extinctions, lithic procurement, bone technology and public archaeology.  Dr. Holen has produced numerous articles and technical reports on a wide range of archaeology and is co-author of two books.