For decades, Antarctica was thought to be untouched by ancient humans. It was too cold, too remote, and too unforgiving. But a recent discovery shattered that misconception.
Along the Antarctic
Peninsula, researchers have uncovered bone fragments embedded in permafrost.
They have been dated to nearly 6,000 years ago, which is before any known human
presence. This suggests that ancient seafaring cultures may have ventured farther
south than imagined. The remains have been carbon dated, their DNA analyzed,
and archaeologically mapped.
The DNA analysis
closely matched the lineage of Indigenous populations from southern Chile and
Argentina. These groups were known for advanced maritime travel and seasonal
movement across the Drake Passage, which is the body of water between the
southern tip of South America and Antarctica.
Conventional reasoning
said the early seafaring civilizations stayed within warm, resource-rich
regions. But this evidence suggests ancient explorers mastered polar navigation
long before compasses or maps existed. They must have understood ocean currents,
seasonal weather, and animal migrations. Since these remains were found alongside
marine mammal bones, they may have followed their food supply.
Found scatter near the
remains were stone blades, carved bone tools, and traces of pigments. The
suggest planned travel and possibly ritual practices. The tools are similar to
those used by early South American coastal tribes for seal processing and
navigation. It’s likely this journey wasn’t a fluke or a storm-driven drift,
but a deliberate venture.
About 6,000 years ago,
sea ice along the Antarctic Peninsula had retreated farther than today, which
could have allowed ancient navigators to reach new hunting grounds. The Antarctic
environment was less hostile, with milder summer and exposed coastlines. Such
windows of opportunity might explain how humans reached Antarctica so long ago.
Finding humans so far
south means migration wasn’t limited by temperature or geography but was driven
by adaptability.
Radar imaging and satellite
mapping have noted irregular formations beneath coastal ice layers, which may
be more archaeological sites. Researchers are targeting zones once exposed
during early Holocene warm periods. Each new site could rewrite another
fragment of human history.
For centuries, legends
in South America spoke of southern lands rich with seals and icy seas. These
tales were dismissed—until now. Those stories may have been ancestral memories
of real journeys.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/the-oldest-human-remains-in-antarctica-just-changed-what-scientists-thought-they-knew/ss-AA1OTxa5?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6906581e6d084590bb311d75d21e1da4&ei=71#image=10
