The Paisley Caves or the Paisley Five Mile Point Caves complex is a system of eight
cave
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
s
in an arid, desolate region of south-central
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
north of the present-day city of
Paisley, Oregon. The caves are located in the
Summer Lake basin at elevation and face west, carved into a ridge of
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
and
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58[basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...](_blank)
s mixed with soft volcanic tuffs and breccias by
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
-era waves from Summer Lake. One of the caves may contain
archaeological evidence
The archaeological record is the body of physical (not written) evidence about the past. It is one of the core concepts in archaeology, the academic discipline concerned with documenting and interpreting the archaeological record. Archaeological th ...
of the oldest definitively-dated human presence in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
. The site was first studied by
Luther Cressman
Luther Sheeleigh Cressman (October 24, 1897 – April 4, 1994) was an American field archaeologist, most widely known for his discoveries at Paleo-Indian sites such as Fort Rock Cave and Paisley Caves, sites related to the early settlement ...
in the 1930s.
Scientific excavations and analysis in the Paisley Caves since 2002 have uncovered substantial new discoveries, including subfossil human
coprolite
A coprolite (also known as a coprolith) is fossilized feces. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behaviour (in this case, diet) rather than morphology. The name is ...
s with the oldest
DNA evidence of
human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, cultu ...
habitation in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
, various artifacts, and animal remains. The DNA was
radiocarbon dated to 14,300
BP or roughly 12,000 BCE.
The caves were added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 2014.
Significant findings
In the summer of 2007, a field school from the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is a ...
identified the oldest human
DNA yet discovered in the Americas. This assertion is based on analysis of several
coprolite
A coprolite (also known as a coprolith) is fossilized feces. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behaviour (in this case, diet) rather than morphology. The name is ...
samples found in the Paisley Caves complex. In total, workers have obtained over 280 radiocarbon dates and DNA analysis from more than 60 coprolites from the Paisley Caves.
Coprolite analysis at varying ages revealed that these occupants were omnivorous, eating a combination of foraged plants, seeds, small mammals such as rodents, fish, and insects like beetles. Knowledge of this omnivorous mode of sustenance supports the notion that the coprolites are human in origin. Other authors have questioned the authenticity and relevance of the evidence gathered from ancient DNA and
stratigraphy
Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers ( strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks.
Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithost ...
and challenge the morphological assignment of the coprolites to humans.
The coprolites were found in the same level as a small rock-lined hearth some below the modern surface. Also discovered at that level was a large number of bones from waterfowl, fish, and
large mammals, including extinct
camels
A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. ...
, horses, and bison.
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon.
The method was de ...
dates these coprolites to 14,400 years ago, probably representing a pre-Clovis occupation. DNA analysis provides apparent genetic ties to Siberia or Asia, rather than a distinct wave of migration.
Clovis ancestors, the putative first humans to live in the Americas, are currently thought to have crossed the Bering Strait into North America 12,000 cal yr BP. However, the Paisley Caves and other archaeological sites throughout the Americas, such as
Monte Verde, have been dated to earlier than Clovis technologies. Scientific debate has shifted in recent years to question this long-held "Clovis first" hypothesis.
Evidence at other archaeological sites—as well as previous work at Paisley Caves in the 1930s—had been thought to provide such evidence, but questionable excavation techniques clouded the issue. Knowing this, the University of Oregon team worked carefully to avoid the mistakes of the past.
The theory that pre-Clovis immigrants traveled to North America down the Pacific Coast suggests that the travelers would have passed through the hinterlands of what is Oregon today. DNA from coyote, fox, and dog (or wolf) was found as well.
Coprolite controversy
Recent research has called the accuracy of radiocarbon dates from these coprolites into question on the basis of morphology and possible
leaching contamination by exogenous human DNA. Sampled coprolites from lower lithostratigraphic units contained canid DNA in addition to human DNA. Other inter-mixed coprolites contained no human DNA, instead being fully attributed to late Pleistocene camelids and lions, and dated to 12,265
radiocarbon years. Some soil samples adjacent to the coprolites were also found to have human DNA, giving further credit to the leaching hypothesis.
Although any results from DNA have been reduced to ambiguous, other data from the coprolites coincidentally provide evidence of pre-Clovis occupation. Coprolites also contain a mixture of lipids and other organic compounds from digestion—called fecal biomarkers. Such lipids are chemically stable and hydrophobic, protecting them from water-induced mobility and serving as more reliable data from buried coprolites than DNA.
Additionally, a human-made bulrush shaft was found above a coprolite and dated to 12,270 yr BP—further verifying the pre-Clovis occupation.
These data provide evidence that the associated Western Stemmed Tradition points are the oldest lithic technology in the Americas and outdate Clovis points.
Western Stemmed Tradition at the Paisley Caves
Artifacts found in the Paisley Caves alongside coprolites bear no resemblance to traditional Clovis points, and instead belong to a group of occupants now referred to as Western Stemmed Tradition. The Western Stemmed Tradition occupies similar tool groupings as Clovis technology—projectile points, most notably—and shares morphology and technology with Afro-Eurasian forms.
It was originally thought to have developed after Clovis technology, but discovery at the Paisley Caves suggests they were at the very least contemporaneous. Dating via fecal biomarkers further supports this notion.
Additionally, the Western Stemmed Tradition projectile points from Paisley Caves were preserved significantly better than anywhere else in the western United States, allowing for the development of diagnostic elements.
Western Stemmed Tradition points are morphologically distinct from Clovis points, with narrow bifaces, shoulders, and thicker, convex bases instead of the longer prismatic blades of Clovis points. There are also procedural differences in how these points were flaked. Evidence of repeated sharpening along Western Stemmed Tradition points suggests they may have also been used as knives for skinning and cutting.
See also
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Lake Abert
Lake Abert (also known as Abert Lake) is a large, shallow, alkali lake in Lake County, Oregon, United States. It is approximately long and wide at its widest point. It is located northeast of the small, unincorporated community of Valley Fal ...
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Arlington Springs Man -
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Buhl Woman
Buhla is the name for a skeleton of a prehistoric ( Paleo-Indian) woman found in a quarry near Buhl, Idaho, United States, in January 1989. The skeleton's age has been estimated by radiocarbon dating at 10,675 ± 95 BP, which confirms this as one o ...
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Calico Early Man Site
The Calico Early Man Site is an archaeological site in an ancient Pleistocene lake located near Barstow in San Bernardino County in the central Mojave Desert of Southern California. This site is on and in late middle-Pleistocene fanglomerates ...
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Cueva de las Manos -
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Fort Rock Cave
Fort Rock Cave was the site of the earliest evidence of human habitation in the US state of Oregon before the excavation of Paisley Caves. Fort Rock Cave featured numerous well-preserved sagebrush sandals, ranging from 9,000 to 13,000 years old ...
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Kennewick Man
Kennewick Man and Ancient One are the names generally given to the skeletal remains of a prehistoric Paleoamerican man found on a bank of the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, on July 28, 1996. It is one of the most complete ancient ske ...
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Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi
Kwäday Dän Tsʼìnchi (), or Canadian Ice Man, is a naturally mummified body found in Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada, by a group of hunters in 1999. Kwäday Dän Tsʼìnchi means "Long Ago Person Found" in Souther ...
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Marmes Rockshelter -
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Monte Verde -
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Pendejo Cave -
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Picture Rock Pass Petroglyphs -
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National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, Oregon
References
Paisley Caves descriptionfrom University of Oregon
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External
Laser Scanning History: Paisley Caves
{{Authority control
Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
Caves of Oregon
Landforms of Lake County, Oregon
Pre-Clovis archaeological sites in the Americas
National Register of Historic Places in Lake County, Oregon
Oldest human remains in the Americas
Western Stemmed Tradition