Frontier Scientists

Uncovering a Paleo-Eskimo Camp

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[ video ] The Dirt on Archaeology
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[ video ] Across The Arctic In An Archaeological Instant
[ video ] 4,000 Year-Old Bones

Paleo-Eskimos are the ancient ancestors of modern Eskimos, as recognized by archaeological studies throughout Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. In Alaska, the earliest members of this group are known by a distinctive stone tool technology called the Denbigh Flint Complex (say DEN-bee). Denbigh people were the first humans to colonize most of Arctic North America 5000 years ago.

Although 75-100 Denbigh sites are known in Alaska, only a handful (literally) of bone fragments are known from all of these sites.  The condition of shallow permafrost and the ongoing formation of peat at Matcharak Lake were just right to preserve the animal remains of many Denbigh meals. The discovery of this frozen bone midden (prehistoric trash dump) will allow the archaeologists to reconstruct the behavior of these Native Alaskans.

✧Uncovering the Frozen Remains of a Paleo-Eskimo Culture Andrew Tremayne
✧The Preservation of Archaeological Bone Andrew Tremayne
✧Matcharak Lake: A Seasonal Mountain Camp Andrew Tremayne
✧Notes after our summer field work: Lake Matcharak Natalia S. Slobodina
✧Reflections on the Lake Matcharak Paleo Eskimo Dig Victoria Florey
✧Future Directions: Beyond Marcharak Lake Andrew Tremayne
✧History in Ice, a view of the Paleo-Eskimo excavation
✧A photo album of Lake Matcharak excavations.

For upcoming archaeology-related content, check out our project on Raven Bluff.
See our projects highlighting Alaska-area Native culture: Petroglyphs & Alutiiq Weavers.