Megafaunal Extinctions and Preclovis
Faithful reader Norah writes: "I read in the paper this week about the disappearance of woolly mammoth and other large-bodied animals at the end of the Ice Age, and how the disappearance happened earlier than first thought. How does this affect what we understand about pre-clovis? Is this support for the presence of humans in North America before Clovis?" Read more...

Vinland
Vinland is the name of the legendary place described in the Viking sagas that was said to have been founded by Leif Ericson on the North American continent. But its connection with the Viking archaeological site in Newfoundland called L'Anse aux Meadows is fraught with controversy. Canadian archaeologist Birgitta Linderoth Wallace has studied L'Anse aux Meadows for the past forty years, and has developed some interesting notions about that precise issue. Wallace's work, published primarily but not exclusively in the 2006 book Westward Vikings: The Saga of L'Anse aux Meadows, isn't often cited, but in my considered opinion, should be.

National Geographic Expedition Week: Bob Ballard at Gallipoli
I admit right up front that I haven't seen the video "Deep Secrets: The Ballard Gallipoli Expedition", because it wasn't made available to us journalist types prior to the program, which airs on the National Geographic channel Wednesday November 18th. All I know for sure is what is in the press kit.

NatGeo Expedition Week 2009: Hunt for the Samurai Subs
On Tuesday, November 17, 2009, National Geographic's Expedition Week presents a new video documenting the underwater archaeology discovery of three imperial Japanese submarines, all scuttled by the American forces off Oahu in 1946.

NatGeo Expedition Week: Search for the Amazon Headhunters
This year, like last year, National Geographic Channel plans to dedicate this coming week to airing new exploration videos. This year, like last year, they were kind enough to send them along to me to review. Four of the seven new videos are related to archaeology, and, like last year, I will provide a guide to the interested reader, including context and additional reading for those viewers who might want to research a little deeper.