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mouse_8b t1_jbtd0fs wrote

Reply to comment by Speneyj in Weekly History Questions Thread. by AutoModerator

Disputed. The safest theory is they crossed the Bering Strait on foot when it was dry. It looks like this actually happened a few times. However, there are some really old artifacts in South America that question that timeline, because it would mean people had to cross from Asia and then get to South America really fast.

There's also a theory that they used small boats to travel along the shore from Asia, along the Bering Strait when it was not fully flooded, and down the western coast of America.

The book 1491 does a good job of covering the different theories.

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Speneyj t1_jbtfmwq wrote

I had read stuff about middle eastern dialects and similarities in cultural behaviors. Any solid resources and theories regarding migration from that region?

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mouse_8b t1_jbtgi0i wrote

No. I haven't read anything about that. All the genetic evidence points to Eastern Asia. North-East Asian genetics makes sense for the land bridge. South-East Asian genetics contributes to the boat theory.

For cultural similarities, I'd chalk that up to coincidence. People are people, so I can accept some similar behaviors and beliefs emerging in different places.

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elmonoenano t1_jbzi7i4 wrote

So, this is a fringe theory from the late 1800s that Mormons basically made up out of whole cloth to show that the Book of Mormon had some historical basis. It was never taken seriously outside those circles. When people started actually studying the genetics of Native American peoples and their languages it proved there's no evidence at all. All the genetic and linguistic evidence points back to the Altai mountain area.

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