Evening star., 1953-01-19
Humans Lived in Utah
About 10, 600 Years Ago
Charcoal Found in Cove
Gives Oldest Fixed Dute
By Thomas z. Henry


There were human beings in central
Utah about 10000 years ago.
An age of 9,789 years-with q posi-
bile error Of $40 years either way-has
been established by radiocarbon analy-
sis OF charcoal found mixed with hui
man artifacts in the lowest strata of
the Lamas cave near Wendover, Utah,
by DR.. w. F. Libby of the University
Of Chicago.
This Is probably the oldest reliably
fixed date for man on this continent.
Other estimates. some considerably
greater, have been based on geological
and fossil evidence. subject to a much
greater margin Of error. E3 ~
The Lamas cave dates are part Of
third series Of radiocarbon determi-.
nations of archaeological and other ma
terial published by DR.. Libby through
the American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science here. The eartli's
atmosphere always contains a small
proportion Of atoms of radioactive
carbon. These have half-life of about
5000 years-that Is. half Of any num-
ber Of atoms present at any particular
time will blow up" in this interval.
During the next 5000 years half the
remainder will disappear, and so on.
Plants. in the process Of photosyn-
thesis, take carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere, including the carbon di-
oxide containing the radioactive atoms.
Animals eat the plants. Consequently
the remains Of every living thing con-
tain o certain amount Of the exploding
element.
The amount Of this remaining, pro-
portional to what is assumed to have
been present in the beginning, indi-
Gates the age Of the specimen. This
method Of time measurement Is valid
up to about 10000 years.
Sand Layer on Floor.
The basic floor of the Lamas cave is
composed Of beach sand which contains
no evidence Of man. The cave was ap.
parently near the shore Of an ancient
lake. From radiocarbon measurements
Of wood fragments in this sand, ten
tative age between 1900 and $4,000
years has been established
Immediately above this sand layer is
deposit of garbage and debris sup
posedly Of human origin. It contains
bits Of charcoal. From this DR.. Libby
established the age Of 9,789 years. I'm
mediately above this is another layer
for which an age of $3.50 plus or minus
$40 years is fixed.
Over this is layer dated at 1919
years, plus or minus 100. The topmost
layer Is dated at approximately 1000
years. Apparently the cave was occupied
perhaps with long intervals between
periods, by human beings of some sort
for nearly 5000 years, nearly to the
start of the Christian era.
There are no fossil remains Of the
occupants themselves. The earliest
Americans remain ghost-like wraiths.
There is little reason to believe. how
ever, that they differed materially from
human beings today. They are one of
the ancestral lines perhaps represented
in the American Indian Of today. It is
not likely, however. that they consti-
tuted major line in Indian ancestry.
The characteristic Indian type probably
came out of Asia much later.
Among the ages fixed by DR.. Libby Is
one Of 5000 years, plus or minus 800.
for charcoal from hearth fire on the
Lindenmeier site in Colorado, which
was certainly a human habitat during
the last days of the last ice age. It's
age has been variously estimated from
10000 to 1000 years, from geological
evidence. .--
Charcoal Near Khartoum.
The first age almost certainly is too
great. DR.. Frank H. H. Roberts of the
Smithsonian Institution estimates that
the charcoal measured represents a
period about halfway in the occupation
of the Lindenmeier site.
Among other dates obtained by DR..
Libby is one from Shaheinab near
Khartoum in the Egyptian Sudan
where charcoal indicates an age of
about 5000 years. This may indicate
that some elements of Egyptian civili-
cation came northward out of Africa.
From an early village site in Iraq an
age Of 6,606 years was estimated.