Ancient Echoes:  12 Oldest Ruins in North America You Need to See 

 May 16th , 2024

CHIRANJIT MITRA

North America's history runs deeper than you might think! Uncover 12 archaeological sites showcasing the continent's earliest inhabitants. 

 Age: 16,000 years old Significance:  vidence of early human presence, pre-dating Clovis culture. 

1: Meadowcroft Rockshelter, Pennsylvania

Age: 15,000 years old Significance: Early stone tools challenged the traditional understanding of human migration. 

2: Cactus Hill, Virginia

 Age: 16,000 - 20,000 years old Significance: Stone tools and burnt plant remains suggest early human activity. 

3: Topper Site, South Carolin

 Age: 14,000+ years old Significance: Fossilized human feces is the oldest DNA evidence in North America. 

4: Paisley Caves, Oregon

Age: 15,500 years old Significance: Stone tools predate Clovis, challenging the theories of the first Americans. 

5: Buttermilk Creek Complex, Texas

Age: 5,500 years old Significance: Oldest known man-made structure in North America, used for rituals. 

6: Mound A, Louisiana

Age: 5,400 years old Significance: Series of mounds, evidence of complex hunter-gatherer society. 

7: Watson Brake, Louisiana

Age: 3,700 years old Significance: Vast earthworks demonstrate sophisticated social organization

8: Poverty Point, Louisiana

 Age: 1,000 years old Significance: Ancestral Puebloan great houses, complex culture, astronomical significance. 

9: Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

Age: 3,000 years old Significance: Giant effigy mound, unique cultural expression, purpose still debated. 

10: Serpent Mound, Ohio

 Age: 800 years old Significance: Cliff dwellings and exceptional preservation of Ancestral Puebloan culture

11: Mesa Verde, Colorad

Age: 1,000 years old Significance: Largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico, complex society. 

12: Cahokia Mounds, Illinois