For decades, the "Clovis First" model dominated American archaeology, proposing that the earliest inhabitants of the Americas were big-game hunters who crossed the Bering Land Bridge around 13,000 years ago, leaving distinct fluted stone points across North America. This model framed the colonization of the continent as a rapid, land-based migration through an ice-free corridor. Conversely, the "Coastal Migration" theory suggests that maritime travelers arrived much earlier—perhaps 15,000 to 16,000 years ago—by hugging the Pacific coastline in boats, relying on marine resources rather than terrestrial megafauna. While the Clovis model relies heavily on widespread, uniform lithic technology found in interior sites, the Coastal Migration theory is supported by older, localized coastal sites like Monte Verde in Chile, which lack Clovis-style tools and contain remnants of organic materials.
Based on the passage, how does the evidence supporting the Clovis First model compare to the evidence supporting the Coastal Migration theory?
- AThe Clovis First model relies on evidence of marine resource consumption along the Pacific coastline, whereas the Coastal Migration theory is supported by evidence of tracking terrestrial megafauna across land bridges.
- BThe Clovis First model relies on organic remnants found in South American coastal sites, whereas the Coastal Migration theory is supported by fluted stone points discovered in interior corridors.
- CThe Clovis First model is supported by evidence of a slow, coastal expansion over sixteen thousand years, whereas the Coastal Migration theory is supported by evidence of a rapid, land-based colonization.
- The Clovis First model is supported by widespread, uniform stone tools from interior sites, whereas the Coastal Migration theory is supported by older, localized coastal sites containing organic materials.Answer