Cactus Hill

Cactus Hill, on sand dunes above Virginia’s Nottoway River, is a deeply stratified archaeological site that became central to debates over the first peopling of the Americas. Excavations found multiple prehistoric occupation levels, including Clovis-era material and a lower layer separated by several inches of sand, raising the possibility of human presence sixteen thousand to twenty thousand years ago. Artifacts and other evidence include Clovis points, blades showing use in butchering and hide processing, elevated phosphate levels, carbonized hickory phytoliths, and animal remains. Although scholars continue to debate whether the layers remained undisturbed, the site has become an important challenge to the old Clovis-first model.

Templeton, Virginia · United States