Justin A Holcomb
Biographic Data
| ID | 116989 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Justin A Holcomb |
| GIVEN NAMES | Justin A |
| FAMILY NAME | Holcomb |
| SIGNATURE | HOLCOMB J A |
| AFFILIATIONS | United States Geological Survey |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4461-1634 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 32 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Evaluation of the Geoarchaeological Study that Proposes a Middle Holocene Age for Monte Verde II, Chile
The late Pleistocene age of Monte Verde II (MV-II), Chile, has been challenged based on a regional geoarchaeological study of Chinchihuapi Creek [Surovell, T., C. Méndez, J.-L. García, C. Lüthens, J. M. Thompson, and C. Latorre. 2026a. “A Mid-Holocene Age for Monte Verde Challenges the Timeline of Human Colonization of South America.” Science 391: 1283–1288]. The authors of that study propose that the early archaeological component at MV-II dates…
Planetary Geoarchaeology of Venus
Venus preserves the remains of landers and probes from 15 space missions concentrated between 1965 and 1985. These artifacts and sites represent the earliest material traces of direct human interaction with the surface of the planet and are therefore of considerable historical significance. However, the extent to which material left on the Venusian surface is preserved remains poorly understood. They were deposited or impacted within one of the m…
Virtual Special Issue
Over the last few decades, geoarchaeology has witnessed rapid growth in the development and application of microanalytical techniques across a variety of archaeological contexts (Macphail and Goldberg 2018; Karkanas and Goldberg 2018; Weiner 2010). This growth includes both the further refinement of theoretical principles and advances in methodology. To highlight these advances and identify persistent gaps in these geoarchaeological approaches, w…
An early Holocene crescent and associated technologies at Connley Cave 6, Oregon
Crescents are flaked stone tools found throughout western North America that are often associated with waterbodies and projectile points diagnostic of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, such as the Western Stemmed Tradition. Archaeologists continue to debate the function of crescents and they remain poorly dated outside of the Channel Islands. Here we report a crescent from recent excavations at Connley Cave 6 in central Oregon and provide …
Planetary Geoarchaeology of Comets
On November 12, 2014, 10 years after its launch as part of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta Mission, the Philae lander successfully touched down on the surface of 67P/Churyumov‐Gerasimenko (hereafter 67P/CG). This event was significant for two reasons. First, it was and remains the only successful attempt to orbit and eventually land on a comet's surface, opening up myriad possibilities for the scientific study of surface processes on th…
Unearthing the Histories of Agrarian Landscapes
This article presents an interdisciplinary programme for research on historic landscapes that has emerged since 2020 in the framework of the project Terraces as Sustainable Agricultural Environments (‘TerraSAgE’). While the methodology has been tested in specific Mediterranean case studies, it is also applicable in other locations and regions. Our integrated approach provides new insights into the development of terraced agrarian landscapes and t…
Chronological and post-depositional insights from single-grain IRSL dating of a Palaeolithic sequence at Stelida, Naxos (Greece)
From sagas to voyages
Demic dispersals of humans into new regions are often carried out in phases, some exploratory and others aimed at establishing a resident population. Here we propose that "prospecting" characterizes human and hominin behavior connected with the early exploratory phases of human migratory behavior. Along with behavioral epigenetic factors, prospecting is a form of agency and intentional action in human behavior that drove the exploration of previo…
Revisiting Kelly Forks (10CW34)
The Kelly Forks Work Center Site (10CW34) is a deeply buried and stratified late Pleistocene to late Holocene aged archaeological site located on the North Fork Clearwater River in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Idaho. Previous research suggested the site contained buried archaeological components associated with the Western Stemmed Tradition. Here, we report preliminary results of ongoing reinvestigation of the site to assess the stra…
Frost Action during the Younger Dryas Inferred from Soil Micromorphology at Connley Cave 5, Oregon
The Younger Dryas chronozone is an abrupt climate event terminating the last glacial period ∼12,900–11,700 calendar years ago marked by rapid changes in regional human, floral, and faunal population dynamics across the globe. Working at Connley Cave 5 in the Fort Rock Basin, Oregon, we demonstrate that this cold event generated microscopic cryogenic features (frost action) which can be used to identify the presence of the Younger Dryas in the nor…
Planetary geoarchaeology as a new frontier in archaeological science
On October 4, 1957, Homo sapiens crossed a new threshold of technological innovation after constructing an artifact capable of entering Low Earth Orbit and effectively paving the way for a future of space exploration. This artifact was Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet space program which triggered the “space race” of the mid‐20th century. Over the past 65 years, we have continued to explore and populate our solar system with rockets and spacecra…
The indigenous paleolithic of the Western hemisphere
The indigenous paleolithic of the Western hemisphere." The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), pp. 1–2
Does the evidence at Arroyo del Vizcaíno (Uruguay) support the claim of human occupation 30,000 years ago
Researchers at Arroyo del Vizcaíno (AdV), Uruguay, have argued that human occupation dates prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (33,000–31,000 cal BP) based on the presence of purported stone tools and cutmarks on bones. We provide a summary of their research and critically evaluate these claims. We conclude that the claims of a pre-LGM occupation at AdV are unsupported due to: (1) equivocal evidence that the purported stone tools are culturally mod…
Dating and Analysis of Western Stemmed Toolkits from the Legacy Collection of Connley Cave 4, Oregon
Stephen Bedwell excavated the Connley Caves in 1967 and 1968, uncovering dense Western Stemmed Tradition assemblages in the lowest deposits. Reporting a series of radiocarbon dates between 11,200 ± 200 14C yr BP and 9150 ± 150 14C yr BP, he suggested the earliest human occupation of Cave 4 dated to ∼11,000 14C yr BP. Subsequent researchers have questioned the veracity of his claim and the reliability of his data. We revisit Bedwell’s investigatio…
Expanding Paleoindian Diet Breadth
Paleoethnobotanical perspectives are essential for understanding past lifeways yet continue to be underrepresented in Paleoindian research. We present new archaeobotanical and radiocarbon data from combustion features within stratified cultural components at Connley Caves, Oregon, that reaffirm the inclusion of plants in the diet of Paleoindian groups. Botanical remains from three features in Connley Cave 5 show that people foraged for diverse dr…
Deposit-centered archaeological survey and the search for the Aegean Palaeolithic
Elemental mapping of micromorphological block samples using portable X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF)
Archaeological soil and sediment micromorphology represent the most efficient way to obtain microcontextual information at archaeological sites. Because of the generally qualitative (descriptive) nature of micromorphology, one difficulty with the method is establishing vertical and lateral continuity of the observed layers or features. Through an Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis approach, we demonstrate that portable X‐ray fluorescence (pXRF) el…
New evidence for the Palaeolithic in Attica, Greece
Despite Greece’s key geographic position between southeast Europe and southwest Asia, and its potential for documenting hominin dispersals, Lower and Middle Palaeolithic sites are rare. This suggests the need for research to identify deposits that may contain Palaeolithic artefacts. Here we describe 165 quartz and quartzite artefacts with Palaeolithic characteristics (based on technical and morphotypological definitions) from a private collection…
Current Research at the Connley Caves (35LK50)
The Connley Caves in the Fort Rock Basin of Oregon contain stratified deposits dating to the late Pleistocene/early Holocene transition and a stone tool assemblage characteristic of the Western Stemmed Tradition. This research brief details preliminary results including stratigraphic, geochronological, and cultural information yielded from Cave 4. Ongoing research at the site stands to shed light on WST technological activities, intra- and inter-…
Stone Age Sailors
Stone Age Sailors arrives in the midst of a paradigm shift. For decades, based on a limited amount of artifactual data, scholars have debated whether Pleistocene foragers crossed the Mediterranean
Expanding Paleoindian Diet Breadth
Paleoethnobotanical perspectives are essential for understanding past lifeways yet continue to be underrepresented in Paleoindian research. We present new archaeobotanical and radiocarbon data from combustion features within stratified cultural components at Connley Caves, Oregon, that reaffirm the inclusion of plants in the diet of Paleoindian groups. Botanical remains from three features in Connley Cave 5 show that people foraged for diverse dr…
Unearthing the Histories of Agrarian Landscapes
This article presents an interdisciplinary programme for research on historic landscapes that has emerged since 2020 in the framework of the project Terraces as Sustainable Agricultural Environments (‘TerraSAgE’). While the methodology has been tested in specific Mediterranean case studies, it is also applicable in other locations and regions. Our integrated approach provides new insights into the development of terraced agrarian landscapes and t…
Elemental mapping of micromorphological block samples using portable X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF)
Archaeological soil and sediment micromorphology represent the most efficient way to obtain microcontextual information at archaeological sites. Because of the generally qualitative (descriptive) nature of micromorphology, one difficulty with the method is establishing vertical and lateral continuity of the observed layers or features. Through an Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis approach, we demonstrate that portable X‐ray fluorescence (pXRF) el…
Does the evidence at Arroyo del Vizcaíno (Uruguay) support the claim of human occupation 30,000 years ago
Researchers at Arroyo del Vizcaíno (AdV), Uruguay, have argued that human occupation dates prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (33,000–31,000 cal BP) based on the presence of purported stone tools and cutmarks on bones. We provide a summary of their research and critically evaluate these claims. We conclude that the claims of a pre-LGM occupation at AdV are unsupported due to: (1) equivocal evidence that the purported stone tools are culturally mod…
Dating and Analysis of Western Stemmed Toolkits from the Legacy Collection of Connley Cave 4, Oregon
Stephen Bedwell excavated the Connley Caves in 1967 and 1968, uncovering dense Western Stemmed Tradition assemblages in the lowest deposits. Reporting a series of radiocarbon dates between 11,200 ± 200 14C yr BP and 9150 ± 150 14C yr BP, he suggested the earliest human occupation of Cave 4 dated to ∼11,000 14C yr BP. Subsequent researchers have questioned the veracity of his claim and the reliability of his data. We revisit Bedwell’s investigatio…
Deposit-centered archaeological survey and the search for the Aegean Palaeolithic
From sagas to voyages
Demic dispersals of humans into new regions are often carried out in phases, some exploratory and others aimed at establishing a resident population. Here we propose that "prospecting" characterizes human and hominin behavior connected with the early exploratory phases of human migratory behavior. Along with behavioral epigenetic factors, prospecting is a form of agency and intentional action in human behavior that drove the exploration of previo…
The indigenous paleolithic of the Western hemisphere
The indigenous paleolithic of the Western hemisphere." The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), pp. 1–2
Stone Age Sailors
Stone Age Sailors arrives in the midst of a paradigm shift. For decades, based on a limited amount of artifactual data, scholars have debated whether Pleistocene foragers crossed the Mediterranean
Current Research at the Connley Caves (35LK50)
The Connley Caves in the Fort Rock Basin of Oregon contain stratified deposits dating to the late Pleistocene/early Holocene transition and a stone tool assemblage characteristic of the Western Stemmed Tradition. This research brief details preliminary results including stratigraphic, geochronological, and cultural information yielded from Cave 4. Ongoing research at the site stands to shed light on WST technological activities, intra- and inter-…
New evidence for the Palaeolithic in Attica, Greece
Despite Greece’s key geographic position between southeast Europe and southwest Asia, and its potential for documenting hominin dispersals, Lower and Middle Palaeolithic sites are rare. This suggests the need for research to identify deposits that may contain Palaeolithic artefacts. Here we describe 165 quartz and quartzite artefacts with Palaeolithic characteristics (based on technical and morphotypological definitions) from a private collection…
Elemental mapping of micromorphological block samples using portable X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF)
Archaeological soil and sediment micromorphology represent the most efficient way to obtain microcontextual information at archaeological sites. Because of the generally qualitative (descriptive) nature of micromorphology, one difficulty with the method is establishing vertical and lateral continuity of the observed layers or features. Through an Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis approach, we demonstrate that portable X‐ray fluorescence (pXRF) el…
Deposit-centered archaeological survey and the search for the Aegean Palaeolithic
The indigenous paleolithic of the Western hemisphere
The indigenous paleolithic of the Western hemisphere." The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), pp. 1–2
Does the evidence at Arroyo del Vizcaíno (Uruguay) support the claim of human occupation 30,000 years ago
Researchers at Arroyo del Vizcaíno (AdV), Uruguay, have argued that human occupation dates prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (33,000–31,000 cal BP) based on the presence of purported stone tools and cutmarks on bones. We provide a summary of their research and critically evaluate these claims. We conclude that the claims of a pre-LGM occupation at AdV are unsupported due to: (1) equivocal evidence that the purported stone tools are culturally mod…
Dating and Analysis of Western Stemmed Toolkits from the Legacy Collection of Connley Cave 4, Oregon
Stephen Bedwell excavated the Connley Caves in 1967 and 1968, uncovering dense Western Stemmed Tradition assemblages in the lowest deposits. Reporting a series of radiocarbon dates between 11,200 ± 200 14C yr BP and 9150 ± 150 14C yr BP, he suggested the earliest human occupation of Cave 4 dated to ∼11,000 14C yr BP. Subsequent researchers have questioned the veracity of his claim and the reliability of his data. We revisit Bedwell’s investigatio…
Expanding Paleoindian Diet Breadth
Paleoethnobotanical perspectives are essential for understanding past lifeways yet continue to be underrepresented in Paleoindian research. We present new archaeobotanical and radiocarbon data from combustion features within stratified cultural components at Connley Caves, Oregon, that reaffirm the inclusion of plants in the diet of Paleoindian groups. Botanical remains from three features in Connley Cave 5 show that people foraged for diverse dr…
Revisiting Kelly Forks (10CW34)
The Kelly Forks Work Center Site (10CW34) is a deeply buried and stratified late Pleistocene to late Holocene aged archaeological site located on the North Fork Clearwater River in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Idaho. Previous research suggested the site contained buried archaeological components associated with the Western Stemmed Tradition. Here, we report preliminary results of ongoing reinvestigation of the site to assess the stra…
Frost Action during the Younger Dryas Inferred from Soil Micromorphology at Connley Cave 5, Oregon
The Younger Dryas chronozone is an abrupt climate event terminating the last glacial period ∼12,900–11,700 calendar years ago marked by rapid changes in regional human, floral, and faunal population dynamics across the globe. Working at Connley Cave 5 in the Fort Rock Basin, Oregon, we demonstrate that this cold event generated microscopic cryogenic features (frost action) which can be used to identify the presence of the Younger Dryas in the nor…
Planetary geoarchaeology as a new frontier in archaeological science
On October 4, 1957, Homo sapiens crossed a new threshold of technological innovation after constructing an artifact capable of entering Low Earth Orbit and effectively paving the way for a future of space exploration. This artifact was Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet space program which triggered the “space race” of the mid‐20th century. Over the past 65 years, we have continued to explore and populate our solar system with rockets and spacecra…
Chronological and post-depositional insights from single-grain IRSL dating of a Palaeolithic sequence at Stelida, Naxos (Greece)
From sagas to voyages
Demic dispersals of humans into new regions are often carried out in phases, some exploratory and others aimed at establishing a resident population. Here we propose that "prospecting" characterizes human and hominin behavior connected with the early exploratory phases of human migratory behavior. Along with behavioral epigenetic factors, prospecting is a form of agency and intentional action in human behavior that drove the exploration of previo…
Planetary Geoarchaeology of Comets
On November 12, 2014, 10 years after its launch as part of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta Mission, the Philae lander successfully touched down on the surface of 67P/Churyumov‐Gerasimenko (hereafter 67P/CG). This event was significant for two reasons. First, it was and remains the only successful attempt to orbit and eventually land on a comet's surface, opening up myriad possibilities for the scientific study of surface processes on th…
Unearthing the Histories of Agrarian Landscapes
This article presents an interdisciplinary programme for research on historic landscapes that has emerged since 2020 in the framework of the project Terraces as Sustainable Agricultural Environments (‘TerraSAgE’). While the methodology has been tested in specific Mediterranean case studies, it is also applicable in other locations and regions. Our integrated approach provides new insights into the development of terraced agrarian landscapes and t…
Evaluation of the Geoarchaeological Study that Proposes a Middle Holocene Age for Monte Verde II, Chile
The late Pleistocene age of Monte Verde II (MV-II), Chile, has been challenged based on a regional geoarchaeological study of Chinchihuapi Creek [Surovell, T., C. Méndez, J.-L. García, C. Lüthens, J. M. Thompson, and C. Latorre. 2026a. “A Mid-Holocene Age for Monte Verde Challenges the Timeline of Human Colonization of South America.” Science 391: 1283–1288]. The authors of that study propose that the early archaeological component at MV-II dates…
Planetary Geoarchaeology of Venus
Venus preserves the remains of landers and probes from 15 space missions concentrated between 1965 and 1985. These artifacts and sites represent the earliest material traces of direct human interaction with the surface of the planet and are therefore of considerable historical significance. However, the extent to which material left on the Venusian surface is preserved remains poorly understood. They were deposited or impacted within one of the m…
Virtual Special Issue
Over the last few decades, geoarchaeology has witnessed rapid growth in the development and application of microanalytical techniques across a variety of archaeological contexts (Macphail and Goldberg 2018; Karkanas and Goldberg 2018; Weiner 2010). This growth includes both the further refinement of theoretical principles and advances in methodology. To highlight these advances and identify persistent gaps in these geoarchaeological approaches, w…
An early Holocene crescent and associated technologies at Connley Cave 6, Oregon
Crescents are flaked stone tools found throughout western North America that are often associated with waterbodies and projectile points diagnostic of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, such as the Western Stemmed Tradition. Archaeologists continue to debate the function of crescents and they remain poorly dated outside of the Channel Islands. Here we report a crescent from recent excavations at Connley Cave 6 in central Oregon and provide …
Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (16 works) · Archaeology (15 works) · Geography (14 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (13 works) · Geology (12 works) · Pleistocene (10 works) · Paleontology (8 works) · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (7 works) · Cave (6 works) · Holocene (5 works)