NOVA: America's Stone Age Explorers

Starring:Nova
Studio: Wgbh Boston
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
The storm of controversy surrounding the population of the Americas.

Who were the first Americans and where did they come from? The conventional view is that they arrived here around 13,500 years ago, but startling new archaeological discoveries suggest it may have been long before that. And experts are testing contentious theories regarding how they got here, including the idea of a dangerous canoe-born voyage from Asia down the west coat of the Americas, or even across the Atlantic from Europe.

Since 1932 and the discovery of ancient weapons at Clovis, New Mexico, the "Clovis-first" theory held that Ice Age big-game hunters entered the continent by crossing a land bridge that spanned the Bering Strait between Asia and Alaska. Then archaeologists discovered a problem: massive ice sheets blocked the way south, and the search for an alternative explanation began. NOVA investigates controversial clues, including finds in an Alaskan bear cave hinting at a west coast voyage, and a stone tool from Virginia claimed to be evidence of a landing from Europe. Then visit an extraordinary Clovis dig in Texas with nearly half a million artifacts, which points to a completely different solution to the puzzle.

Join archaeologists and other experts as they dig into prehistory and uncover a provocative Stone Age detective story.

Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; a link to the NOVA Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

Description

The storm of controversy surrounding the population of the Americas.

Join archaeologists and other experts as they dig into prehistory and uncover a provocative Stone Age detective story.

Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; a link to the NOVA Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: Letterboxed.

Customer Reviews:

When did the first Americans arrive?.......2007-03-16

This interesting program offers alternatives to the accepted theory that the first Americans appeared in the new world roughly 13,000 years ago. The theory originated in the 1930s, based on discoveries made at Clovis, New Mexico. The spear points found there led many to believe that they belonged to the earliest explorers of the continent.

However, recent excavations in both North and South America have revealed that humans already inhabited the Americas, with some sites indicating the possibility that humans were in the Americas as long as 20,000 years ago or more. Various theories are given as to how this might have happened, including the remote possibility that people came west from Europe, instead of the usually accepted view that people came across a land bridge from Asia.

Four stars. More research needs to be done on the subject, but we may have to rewrite the history books when it's over!

Great survival and genetic story.......2006-07-24

Fantastic scientific study of survivalism, genetics, and the peopling of America. Hints at explainations for our many differences and yet shows that caucasians have many similarities and potentially even shared ancestry with native Americans. The monuments of the native Americans is their story of exploration, survival, and long running prosperity.

The monuments of other ancient cultures are only large meaningless structures built to satisfy the selfish whims of some egomaniac ancient king which in the long run spent and bankrupted those cultures and led to their defeat and collapse.

archaic.......2005-06-01

This documentary suggests that humans may have come to the Americas before 13,500 years ago and possibly not over the ice connecting Russia and Alaska. Okay, I don't have a problem with that.

This documentary was just not as thrilling as I thought it would be. When I see Hindu sculptures from 2,000 years ago, I am in awe. However, there are only so many rough spearheads that I can see before I get bored. Ancient Egyptian work is wondrous, the stuff in this documentary was dull and, appropriately, primitive.

This documentary may be ideal for anthropology majors and high school students who think they may want to major in that field. This might even be a good thing to watch on PBS when nothing else is on. Otherwise, it was a bit of a yawner.

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