Inupiaq and Athabascan people and their ancestors traveled long distances over rough terrain throughout the central Brooks Range. Their knowledge of the land enabled them to survive on the plants and animals available during each season. Caribou is particularly important as they migrate through the Brooks Range. Archaeological evidence shows there were cooperative, organized game drives designed to efficiently harvest this abundant, but fleeting, resource that was critical to survival.
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Bering Land Bridge National PreserveHistory and CultureParts of the Seward Peninsula have been inhabited by humans for at least 12,000 years.
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Cape Krusenstern National MonumentHistory and CultureThe beach ridges of Cape Krusenstern show a long history of occupation by many different people.
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Gates of the Arctic Nat'l Park&PresHistory and CulturePeople have lived in the Brooks Range for more than 13,000 years and thousands of archeological sites document their existence.
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Kobuk Valley National ParkHistory and CultureAt a wide bend in the Kobuk River, archeologists have found evidence that for at least 9,000 years, the caribou herd has used this crossing.
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Noatak National PreserveHistory and CultureNoatak National Preserve has been home to people for well over 11,000 years.
Articles on Arctic Archaeology
Showing results 1-10 of 14
- Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Nome Archaeology Camp: Using Place-based Education to Inspire the Next Generation of Stewards in the Bering Strait Region
- Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Nome Archaeology Camp engages high school students from across Alaska in learning about the cultural heritage of the Bering Strait—past and present. They practice archaeological survey techniques, learn from elders and local experts, work with museum collections, and more. Alaska Park Science 20(2), 2021
- Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park
The study of ceramic technology expands what we know about the extent of social networks over time. This work is exploring the mobility of social networks across Beringia and how people adapted to changing environmental and social circumstances. Alaska Park Science 20(2), 2021
- Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Analyzing Early Driftwood Houses of Coastal Alaska
- Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Early indigenous semi-subterranean houses of coastal Alaska are traditionally made from a driftwood frame and whalebone, covered with sod and turf. Such houses are found on both sides of the Bering Strait and date back at least 3,000 years.
- Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, more »
Read the abstract and link to a recent article on archaeological research using magnetic detection of hearths: Urban, Thomas M., Jeffrey T. Rasic, Claire Alix, Douglas D. Anderson, Linda Chisholm, Robert W. Jacob, Sturt W. Manning, Owen K.Mason, Andrew H. Tremayne, Dale Vinson (2019). Magnetic detection of archaeological hearths in Alaska: A tool for investigating the full span of human presence at the gateway to North America. Quaternary Science Reviews 211: 73-92.
- Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Frank Churchill’s 1905 Documentation of the Reindeer Service in Alaska
- Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
The photographic collection and historic account of an audit of the U.S. Reindeer Service undertaken in 1905 documents the sociopolitical context of early years of Native reindeer herding in Alaska. Alaska Park Science 20(2), 2021
Read the abstract and link to a peer-reviewed article on the use of ground-penetrating radar in Arctic archaeology: Urban, T. M., J. T. Rasic, C. Alix, D. D. Anderson, S. W. Manning, O. K. Mason, A. H. Tremayne, and C. B. Wolff. 2016. Frozen: the potential and pitfalls of ground-penetrating radar for archaeology in the Alaskan Arctic. Remote Sensing 8(12):1007
Read the abstract and link to a newly published article that explores the origins of whaling in the Bering and Chukchi regions. Mason, O. K. and J. T. Rasic. 2020. Walrusing, whaling and the origins of the Old Bering Sea culture. World Archaeology 51(3): 454-483.
- Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve
Arctic Perennial Snowfields are Shrinking
- Locations: Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve
Read the abstract and get the link to an article on changes in perennial snowfields in the Brooks Range. Tedesche, M. E., E. D. Trochim, S. R. Fassnacht, and G. J. Wolken. 2019. Extent Changes in the Perennial Snowfields of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Hydrology 6, 53.
- Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument
The annual Bering Strait Archaeology Camp provides students with hands-on activities that build confidence and curiosity while allowing students to experience a direct, tangible connection to the past. The camp teaches students to combine archaeological methods like surveying house pit sites, analyzing artifacts, and interviewing elders to create a picture of the past.
- Cape Krusenstern National Monument
Arctic Small Tool Tradition
- Locations: Cape Krusenstern National Monument
Read abstracts and link directly to a collection of peer-reviewed published articles on the Arctic Small Tool tradition and archaeology in Alaska.
Last updated: July 29, 2019