Featured in Science News, recent advances in radiocarbon dating are reshaping our understanding of Indigenous history in eastern North America. UGA's Dr. Jen Birch worked with Dr. Sturt Manning of Cornell University to redate the Jean-Baptiste Lainé Site in Ontario. Previously thought to have been abandoned around 1535 due to a lack of European artifacts, the site was shown to have been occupied between 1590 and 1615—75 years later than originally believed. This breakthrough, based on radiocarbon dating and statistical modeling, has triggered a broader reassessment of how archaeologists date Indigenous sites, challenging assumptions that European contact caused immediate cultural shifts. At the recent Society for American Archaeology meeting, Birch co-organized a session where many of these new findings were discussed. Several UGA researchers presented major contributions at the session. Dr. Victor Thompson of UGA’s Georgia Museum of Natural History shared new radiocarbon dates from Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, showing that the Lamar site was occupied by Muscogee ancestors well into the 17th century. Dr. Megan Anne Conger from UGA’s Center for Applied Isotope Studies presented evidence that Indigenous communities in southern Ontario were heavily engaged in the beaver pelt economy before formal French involvement. Dr. Brita Lorentzen and PhD student Seungyeon Hong from UGA’s Tree Rings and Archaeological Wood Laboratory (TRAWG), as well as emeritus professor Dr. Mark Williams from UGA Anthropology and the Laboratory of Archaeology, were also involved in advancing these new methods. These refined dating techniques reveal that Indigenous societies adapted to European contact on their own terms, maintaining resilience and cultural continuity long after initial encounters. The session also featured UGA Anthropology alumni, including Dr. Stefan Brannan (co-organizer of the session, now at New South Associates), Dr. Jake Holland-Lulewicz (now at Penn State), and Dr. Brandon Ritchison (now at the University of Illinois-Champaign). While the technical complexity of new dating methods can pose challenges for collaboration, speakers such as RaeLynn Butler of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation emphasized the importance of connecting these scientific findings to living tribal communities. Together, UGA researchers and their colleagues are helping to build a more accurate and meaningful understanding of Indigenous persistence and historical agency—one that better reflects the experiences and decisions of Native peoples both before and after European contact. Dr. Brita Lorentzen examines a wood sample through a high-powered microscope at the TRAWG lab. Cover photo: Seungyeon Hong examines a wood sample through a high-powered microscope at the TRAWG lab.
