Dr. Jonathan Lothrop
My research is focused on how and when Indigenous peoples migrated into what we now call New York during the Late Pleistocene or Ice Age and the Early Holocene, between 13,000 and 10,000 years ago, and how they survived initially on the region's subarctic landscapes. Our approach involves integrated studies of Ice Age archaeological sites and artifact collections from across New York and surrounding regions to: (1) refine understandings of the archaeological chronology and material culture of the earliest Native Americans, and (2) using archaeological evidence, model changes through time in the lifeways of these First Peoples. A key aspect of this work involves collaborating with earth scientists at the NYSM and elsewhere to better understand the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene landscapes and environments of these peoples. At the broadest level, this research contributes to our collective understanding of the Late Pleistocene peopling of the New World and how some early peoples may have responded to rapid environmental and climatic changes at the end of the Ice Age, circa 11,600 years ago.
