Dry Creek : archaeology and paleoecology of a Late Pleistocene Alaskan hunting camp /

The Dry Creek site is situated in the Nenana River valley of central Alaska. The site was excavated by Powers of the University of Alaska from 1973 through 1977. Although its significance was recognized in a series of articles, no final report was published because of Powers's passing in 2003. The coauthors, using Powers's unpublished book manuscript, the collections at the University of Alaska Museum, and the 2011 excavations at the site, provide a comprehensive, detailed study of Dry Creek and its bearing on the origins of the first people in Beringia, the exposed landmass connecting Siberia with Alaska. They describe the geology, stratigraphy, lithic technology, and paleoecology of the two field seasons. There are two stratigraphically separate components. Component I is dated to 13,600 and Component II has a suggested date of 12,750 before the present, making Dry Creek one of the earliest sites in Alaska. A comparison of the Siberian archaeological record with Dry Creek and other early Alaskan sites strongly indicates that other, much earlier Alaskan sites remain to be found. This volume is profusely illustrated with striking photos of the artifacts. For those interested in the peopling of the Americas, Dry Creek is a must. Summing Up: Essential. All academic levels/libraries. --James Bushnell Richardson, University of Pittsburgh