A new late Pleistocene archaeological sequence in South America: the Vale da Pedra Furada (Piauí, Brazil)
Résumé
The date of the first settlement of the Americas remains a contentious subject. Previous claims
for very early occupation at Pedra Furada in Brazil were not universally accepted (see Meltzer et al. 1994). New work at the
rockshelter of Boqueirao da Pedra Furada and at the nearby open-air site of Vale da Pedra Furada have however produced new evidence
for human occupation extending back more than 20 000 years. The argument is supported by a series of $^{14}$C and OSL dates, and by
technical analysis of the stone tool assemblage. The authors conclude that the currently accepted narrative of human settlement in
South America will have to be re-thought.