August was a big month for DRI archaeologist Maureen King. In the August 2 issue of Science, King reported that an ancient projectile point uncovered in Siberia shares a distinct manufacturing technique with those widely thought to be produced only by early Native Americans - apparently the first tangible evidence that fluted-point technology was not confined to the New World. It also suggests a great deal more diversity in the early prehistory of northeastern Siberia migration models imply.

Nearly all archaeologists agree that humans first migrated to North America from Siberia and northeastern Asia via a land bridge across today's Bering Strait. (About 11,000 years ago, the Pacific Ocean rose to cover Beringia, the vast subcontinent connecting the Old and New Worlds.) Archaeologists disagree about when the migration happened, and key to this debate has been the belief that fluted points represent a technology unique to the Americas. The Science article by King and her Russian colleague Sergei Slobodin adds a new twist to the lively debate. "It raises more questions than it answers," King explains. For example, their discovery seems to indicate that fluting technology crossed the land bridge, but does not tell us from which direction it crossed.

While the discovery is causing a lot of speculation about the link between the Old and New Worlds, King is concentration on what it may tell her about the people who made the fluted point and how they adapted to their environment.

King, who is one of a only a few non-Russians doing archaeological research in northeastern Siberia, is working with Slobodin and a dozen Russian students as part of her dissertation research (through the University of Washington) on the prehistory of northeastern Siberia. Several years ago, Slobodin found the characteristic fluted projectile point fragments at Uptar, a Siberian site about 25 miles north of the city of Magadan. The point eluded recognition until King was finally able to analyze the fragments and discover their North American similarities. "It was an incredible moment for me," she remembers.

Shortly after the Science article was published, King and her Russian colleague returned to the Uptar site. They were able to confirm the initial radiocarbon date of around 8,300 years ago for the volcanic ash that covered the Uptar cultural materials. The worn condition of the artifacts indicates they may be considerably older than the overlying volcanic layer. The DRI archaeologist hopes to discover more about the people who made the ancient point when she continues her Siberian research next summer with the support of a National Science Foundation dissertation improvement grant.