Recent excavations at a number of sites, including Cactus Hill located along the Nottoway River in southwest Virginia, have provided new evidence and raised new questions about when people ventured into the Americas. For many years, archaeologists thought that people arrived approximately 11,500 years ago. However, stone artifacts, charcoal, and soil, plant and animal remains point to human habitation at Cactus Hill at least 18,000 years ago during the late Ice Age.

Click here to watch Ice Age Discoveries: New Evidence

How are archaeologists solving history’s mysteries? What are archaeologists finding, how do they do their work using the scientific method, and what is the latest evidence about the people who lived here and knew this land before us?

Click here to watch Ice Age Discoveries: The Investigators