Paleo-Indians

Paleo-Indians were the earliest known human populations of the Americas, present during the late Pleistocene and known chiefly through archaeological evidence.

Clovis culture: A widespread archaeological tradition in North America, known especially for distinctive fluted stone projectile points. Its artifacts once anchored models of the first widespread settlement of the Americas.
Beringia: The now-submerged region linking northeastern Asia and northwestern North America during periods of low sea level. It formed a major land connection relevant to proposed migrations into the Americas.
Monte Verde: An archaeological site in southern Chile with evidence of human occupation dating to about 14,500 years ago. Its early date helped overturn the idea that Clovis people were the first Americans.
Pleistocene megafauna: Large-bodied animal species that lived during the Pleistocene, many of which became extinct near its end. Paleo-Indian communities encountered these animals, though hunting's role in their extinction remains debated.
Pre-Clovis: Archaeological evidence for human presence in the Americas before the appearance of Clovis artifacts. Claims of earlier occupation revise the former assumption that Clovis marked the beginning.
Beringian standstill hypothesis: A hypothesis that ancestral Indigenous American populations remained isolated in Beringia before spreading south. It offers one explanation for genetic divergence before people dispersed through the continents.
Paisley Caves: A group of caves in Oregon containing archaeological evidence of human occupation predating Clovis. Preserved materials at the site contribute evidence for pre-Clovis presence.
Quaternary extinction event: The widespread loss of large animals near the end of the Pleistocene, across multiple continents. Its timing overlaps with human expansion and major environmental changes in the Americas.
Lithic technology: The manufacture and use of stone tools by human societies. Stone tools provide much of the material evidence used to identify Paleo-Indian occupations.
Pacific coastal migration theory: A model proposing that early migrants traveled south along the Pacific coast of the Americas. It provides a route distinct from migration through an inland ice-free corridor.

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