Spatiotemporal distribution of the North American Indigenous population prior to European contact.

ABSTRACT: We examine spatiotemporal trends in the pre-European-contact Indigenous population of North America using radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dates of the past 2000 y. At a continental scale, the Indigenous population of the past ~14,000 y peaked at ~1150 CE and then declined until a brief recovery shortly before 1500 CE, after which ¹⁴C probability declines precipitously. After testing, we reject the hypothesis that the 1150 CE peak and decline is a result of ¹⁴C sampling issues. We then examine the ¹⁴C record of the past 2000 y in each of 18 watersheds where we find peaks ranging from ~800 to 770 CE to after European contact, with the majority, in the interior of the continent, declining ~1080 to 1300 CE. Although all Indigenous populations declined after Europe

SUBMITTER: Kelly RL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11831114 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature