Setting the Environmental Scene - The Pleistocene Scene (Module 04)

	Principle 6: Basic Archaeological Skills - ¯Students of archaeology must also understand the epistemological 
		ramifications of the discipline - how they come to know what they know about ancient peoplesê life ways . . . they 
		understand and interpret what they encounter under the ground.²

		Discussion - The issue of the Pleistocene extinctions is a potentially contentious one and discussion of 
		the phenomena open the door to a whole host of ¯teachable moments.²  The ¯Paul S. Martin Hypothesis² 
		would have a pre-human Western Hemisphere populated by a variety of Pleistocene fauna living a blissful 
		existence without a hint of fear of humans.  Then, when Post-Pleistocene conditions give a ¯greening² light, 
		various groups of seasoned hunters descend through the Ice-Free Corridor, find animal prey having no 
		inherent fear of humans, and then begin their carnivorous rampage, leading to the ultimate complete 
		distinction of creatures like the mammoth, mastodon, and others.  Ethologically (behaviorally), do we have 
		historical accounts of analogous events?  The question needs to be raised because it does seem strange 
		that animals that formed herds (as probably was the case with the extinct probiscidians as well as with 
		Bison antiquus) tend to learn quickly about predatory threats, making hunting them more difficult.  
		What archaeological evidence do we have to support the Martin Hypothesis?  What alternative explanations 
		do we have for the disappearance of Pleistocene fauna?