Swan Point Archaeological Site facts for kids

The Swan Point Archeological Site is a very old place in eastern central Alaska, near the Tanana River. It's one of the oldest places in Alaska where we've found proof that people lived there. Scientists have also found bones of huge animals that don't live in Alaska anymore, like wapiti (elk), bison, and woolly mammoths.

Things found at Swan Point, like tools and other items, are about 14,000 years old. This means people lived there around 12,000 BCE. Swan Point is special because it's the oldest archaeological site in the Americas whose age everyone agrees on. In 2008, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

When People Lived at Swan Point

People have lived at Swan Point at least six different times over many thousands of years. We know this from charcoal found there, which has been radiocarbon dated. This dating shows that Swan Point is the oldest known site in the Tanana River Valley.

The Earliest Times (Terminal Pleistocene)

This is the oldest period of people living at Swan Point, dating back about 11,660 to 10,000 years ago. Here, archaeologists found pieces of mammoth tusks that had been shaped by people. They also found tiny stone blades called microblades, tools for making them, and other stone tools like choppers. The microblades found here are very important because they are the oldest ones found in eastern Beringia that we can be sure about their age.

Later Ice Age (Latest Pleistocene)

This period dates to about 10,230 years ago. During this time, people used different kinds of stone spear points. They also had tools for engraving and stone choppers. Mammoth tusk pieces from this time are about 14,000 years old. Since only tusk ivory was found, it seems these early people probably found and used ivory from mammoths that had already died, instead of hunting them.

Early Middle Times (Early Late Holocene)

From about 7,500 to 8,200 years ago, people at Swan Point used tools like bifaces (tools shaped on both sides) and unifaces (tools shaped on one side). They also used microblade cores. This suggests that people moved around a lot during this period.

Middle to Later Times (Mid to Late Holocene)

This period was between 2,500 and 5,500 years ago. Tools found include spear points with worn edges, small microblade cores, and scrapers. In the upper parts of this layer, archaeologists found different types of spear points and more microblades. In the lower parts, the way artifacts were scattered suggests people might have lived in tent-like homes.

Recent Ancient Times (Late Holocene)

This period covers about 700 to 2,100 years ago. People used various projectile points (like arrowheads or spearheads) and scrapers. They also built an early semi-underground house about 1,850 to 1,900 years ago. Inside this house, they even found a footprint that matched a pre-teen child!

Modern Times (Historic)

People continued to use the site even in more recent times. Evidence includes items like tin cans, old 30-30 rifle cartridges, an iron knife handle, an old glass bottle, and a moose bone tool for cleaning hides.

What the Climate Was Like

Unlike a nearby site called Broken Mammoth, not many animal or plant remains were found at Swan Point. The few remains discovered include bones from swans, geese, and moose from the mid to late Holocene period.

Because Swan Point is close to the Broken Mammoth site, we can guess the climate was similar. It was likely a cool, flat tundra area with low plants. Charcoal found with the oldest tools shows that people used wood from Populus (like aspen or cottonwood) and Willow trees for fires.

The layers of soil and rock at Swan Point are a bit different from other sites in the Tanana River Valley. The layers are thinner because it's farther from the Tanana River. The ground is made of about one meter of wind-blown sand and dust from the last 11,700 years, sitting on top of solid bedrock. This means the dates for things found here are quite accurate.

Tools and Features Found

Archaeologists found the remains of several campfires, called hearths, at Swan Point. Hearths from the Holocene period mostly contained charcoal. Older hearths had charcoal and some animal bone. The very oldest layer, from the Terminal Pleistocene, didn't have clear hearths. Some burned bits were found, suggesting that before the mid to late Holocene, the site was used only for short visits without regular fires.

Scientists studied the fats and oils in these hearths in 2008. They found that animal bones were not only part of people's diet but also provided marrow and grease to fuel the fires. One hearth sample seemed to come from a large animal, like a Red Deer. Other samples showed fats from plant-eating animals, meaning people used bones from different animals to keep their fires burning.

The stone tools from the earliest times at Swan Point include microblades. These tiny blades were not found at nearby sites like Broken Mammoth. Other tools from this time were shaped on both sides or one side, and there were also choppers and scrapers. Some tools were even made from ivory. A small piece of stone from a tool was dated to 13,800 years ago, showing how old these early stone tools are.

Later, between 13,000 and 9,500 years ago, a specific type of spear point called the Chindadn point was common. Swan Point also has unique triangular stone tools with sharpened corners.

Tools made from Obsidian (a type of volcanic glass) from the Wrangell Mountains were also found at Swan Point. These obsidian tools are similar to those found at Broken Mammoth. This suggests that the people at Swan Point and Broken Mammoth might have shared tools or traded with each other.