Humans are a roaming species. We've been traveling from continent to continent since our very earliest evolution. In fact, we've been doing it even before we were humans. This week, we're talking with archaeologist Radu Iovita about the ancient silk road, a travel network that was in use tens of thousands of years ago, and we speak with archaeologist Elroy White and anthropologist Alisha Gauvreau about what the oral histories of Indigenous people have to say about North American settlement and how archaeologists are working with First Nations to confirm those histories.

REFERENCES

Rodriguez A, Yanamandra K, Witek L, Wang Z, Behera RK, et al. The effect of worked material hardness on stone tool wear. PLOS ONE 17(10): e0276166 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276166

Marreiros, J., Pereira, T. & Iovita, R. Controlled experiments in lithic technology and function. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 12, 110 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-020-01059-5

Smith, G.M., Noack, E.S., Behrens, N.M. et al. When Lithics Hit Bones: Evaluating the Potential of a Multifaceted Experimental Protocol to Illuminate Middle Palaeolithic Weapon Technology. J Paleo Arch 3, 126–156 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-020-00053-6

Alisha Gauvreau, Daryl Fedje, Angela Dyck, Quentin Mackie, Christopher F.G. Hebda, Keith Holmes, Qˇíxˇitasu Yímˇázalas Elroy White, Dúqva̓ísḷa William Housty, Ĝvuí Rory Housty, Duncan McLaren, Geo-archaeology and Haíɫzaqv oral history: Long-term human investment and resource use at EkTb-9, Triquet Island, N̓úláw̓itxˇv Tribal Area, Central Coast, British Columbia, Canada, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 49, 103884 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.103884.