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A Precolumbian Presence of Venetian Glass Trade Beads in Arctic Alaska

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2021

Michael L. Kunz Open the ORCID record for Michael L. Kunz [Opens in a new window]  and
Robin O. Mills
Michael L. Kunz*
Affiliation:
University of Alaska Museum of the North, 1962 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks, AK99775, USA
Robin O. Mills
Affiliation:
Bureau of Land Management, Fairbanks District Office, 222 University Avenue, Fairbanks, AK99709, USA ([email protected])
*
([email protected], corresponding author)
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Abstract

Excavation at three Late Prehistoric Eskimo sites in arctic Alaska has revealed the presence of Venetian glass trade beads in radiocarbon-dated contexts that predate Columbus's discovery of the Western Hemisphere. The bead variety, commonly known as “Early Blue” and “Ichtucknee Plain,” has been confirmed by expert examination and comparative Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). The beads are present in sites throughout the Caribbean, the eastern coast of Central and North America, and the eastern Great Lakes region, where they are commonly found in sites dating between approximately AD 1550 and 1750, although a diminishing presence continues into the early 1800s. Beads of this variety have not previously been reported from Alaska. Ascribed to Venetian production by their precolumbian age, the beads challenge the currently accepted chronology for the development of their production methodology, availability, and presence in the Americas. In the absence of trans-Atlantic communication, the most likely route these beads traveled from Europe to northwestern Alaska is across Eurasia and over the Bering Strait. This is the first documented instance of the presence of indubitable European materials in prehistoric sites in the Western Hemisphere as the result of overland transport across the Eurasian continent.

Excavación en tres sitios prehistóricos esquimales situados en el ártico de Alaska ha demostrado la presencia de cuentas venecianas de vidrio fechadas a la época precolombina por datación mediante carbono 14. La identificación positiva de estas cuentas de Tipo IIa40 también conocidas como Early Blue y Ichtucknee Plain se ha confirmado por análisis experto y análisis instrumental comparativo de activación neutrón. Esta clase de cuenta está presente en sitios a través del Caribe, la costa oriental de Norteamérica y América Central y la región oriental de los Grandes Lagos donde se las encuentra comúnmente en sitios fechados entre 1550 y 1750, aunque su cantidad disminuye continuamente hasta los 1800s. Esta clase de cuentas no se ha documentado en Alaska anteriormente. Atribuidas a la producción veneciana por su edad precolombina, las cuentas contradicen la cronología aceptada actualmente del desarrollo de su método de producción, disponibilidad y presencia en las Américas. En la ausencia de comunicación transatlántica, la única ruta que las cuentas podrían haber viajado de Europa al noroeste de Alaska era por Eurasia y el estrecho de Bering. Este es el primer caso de la presencia indudable de materiales europeos en sitios prehistóricos en el hemisferio oeste llevados por el transporte terrestre a través del continente Euroasiático.

Keywords

Late Prehistoric EskimoVenetian glass trade beadsprecolumbian occurrenceEurasia/North American Native contactesquimal prehistórico recientecuentas comerciales de vidrio venecianopresencia precolombinacontacto entre Eurasia/Nativo de América del Norte
Type
Report
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 86 , Issue 2 , April 2021 , pp. 395 - 412
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for American Archaeology

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