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Taima-Taima is a
Fossils of '' Xenorhinotherium'' (an extinct animal similar to
Implications of Taima-Taima and the peopling of Northern South America
{{Authority control Archaeological sites in Venezuela Rock art in South America Paleontology in Venezuela Pre-Clovis archaeological sites in the Americas Pleistocene paleontological sites of South America
Taima-Taima is a Late Pleistocene
The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as Upper Pleistocene from a Stratigraphy, stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division of ...
archaeological site located about 20 kilometers east of Santa Ana de Coro
Coro, historically known as Neu-Augsburg, is the capital of Falcón State and the second oldest city of Venezuela (after Cumaná). It was founded on July 26, 1527, by Juan de Ampíes as Santa Ana de Coro. It is established at the south of the Par ...
, in the Falcón State of Venezuela. The human settlement at Taima-Taima started about 14,000 years ago.
History of research
The site was investigated starting in 1964 byJosé Cruxent
José Maria Cruxent (January 16, 1911 – February 23, 2005) was a professional archaeologist considered to be the "Father of Scientific Archaeology" in Venezuela.Gonzalez, Gloria (2010). 'Fundación José María Cruxent: Biografía' a/ref> He ...
(1911-2005), Alan Bryan
Alan may refer to:
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*Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname
*Alan (given name), an English given name
**List of people with given name Alan
''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.''
*Al ...
, Rodolfo Casamiquela
Rodolfo Magín Casamiquela (December 11, 1932 in Ingeniero Jacobacci, Río Negro Province – December 5, 2008 in Cipolletti, Río Negro) was an Argentinian paleontologist, archeologist, historian, writer, and teacher, best known for his discoveri ...
, Ruth Gruhn
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, and Claudio Ochsenius.
The earliest human occupation goes back to 14,200-12,980 years ago. This indicates a pre-Clovis settlement of South America; the site is used as evidence for people arriving to South America earlier than previously believed.
Cruxent discovered a '' Notiomastodon'' pelvic bone that was pierced by a stone spearpoint. Geological and radiocarbon dating of the find both indicate the date of 13,000 BP (11,000 BC).
Fossils of '' Xenorhinotherium'' (an extinct animal similar to camel
A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...
s), dating from the Pleistocene Epoch, have been found in Taima-Taima. Other such finds were made in Brazil, and also in Venezuela in the localities of Muaco, and Cuenca del Lago.
El Jobo projectile points
At Taima-Taima, José Cruxent discoveredEl Jobo
EL, El or el may refer to:
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* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
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* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
projectile points, which are believed to be the earliest such artefacts in South America, going back to 16,000 BP. This was a major discovery in Paleoindian archaeology.
The bi-pointed El Jobo points were found in the valley of Pedregal River
Pedregal River is a river of northern Venezuela. It flows into the Caribbean Sea.
See also
* List of rivers of Venezuela
References
*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993.
Rivers of Venezuela
{{Venezuela-river-stub ...
, and were mostly distributed in north-western Venezuela; from the Gulf of Venezuela to the high mountains and valleys. The population using them were hunter-gatherers that seemed to remain within a certain circumscribed territory.Oliver, J.R., Alexander, C.S. (2003). Ocupaciones humanas del Plesitoceno terminal en el Occidente de Venezuela. Maguare, 17 83-246 El Jobo points were probably used for hunting large mammals.
The Joboid series of points have been grouped into four successive complexes. The earliest was ''Camare'', then ''Las Lagunas'', ''El Jobo'', and ''Las Casitas''. The Camare and Las Lagunas complexes lack stone projectile points. The Camare tool complex has been dated to 22,000-20,000 years ago. El Jobo tool complex has been dated to 16,000-9,000 years ago.
See also
* Urumaco *Pre-Columbian period in Venezuela
The Pre-Columbian period in Venezuela refers to the period before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 16th century, known as the Pre-Columbian era. It covers the history of what are now known as the indigenous peoples of Venezuela.
Ar ...
Notes
Bibliography
*Ochsenius, C. and R. Gruhn, eds. (1979) ''Taima-taima. A Late Paleo-Indian Kill Site in Northernmost South America''. Final Reports of the 1976 Excavations. CIPICS/South American Quaternary Documentation Program. Printed in the Federal Republic of Germany (includes chapters by J. M. Cruxent, A. L. Bryan, R. Gruhn, R. M. Casimiquiela and C. Ochsenius) *Jaimes Queros, A. (2003) ''El Vano, una nueva localidad paleo-india en el nor-occidente de Venezuela''. Maguaré No. 17, pp. 46–64. Gerardo Ardila Calderón, ed. Revista del Departamento de Antropología de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Bogotá Colombia. *Oliver, J.R., Alexander, C.S. (2003). Ocupaciones humanas del Plesitoceno terminal en el Occidente de Venezuela. Maguare, 17 83-246External links
*José R. OliverImplications of Taima-Taima and the peopling of Northern South America
{{Authority control Archaeological sites in Venezuela Rock art in South America Paleontology in Venezuela Pre-Clovis archaeological sites in the Americas Pleistocene paleontological sites of South America