In today’s episode we begin a brand new series focused on the early peopling of the Americas, examining who they were, where they came from, and how they adapted to changing climates.  Joining us today is Dr. Tom Dillehay. Dr. Dillehay is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Vanderbilt College, specializing in archaeology, migration patterns, political and economic change, and South America. Dr. Dillehay received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1976 based on research from large Inca sites in Peru and then taught at the Southern University of Chile in Valdivia.  In that same year, the now famous Monte Verde archaeological site was discovered about 120 miles south of Valdivia.  Along with his colleague Mario Pino, Dillehay began excavating the Monte Verde site in 1978 and recovered evidence of its extreme antiquity as well as its high degree of organic preservation.
Early reports of pre-Clovis occupation at Monte Verde sparked widespread scepticism and criticism among the archaeological community. In 1997 nearly twenty years after the excavations at Monte Verde began, a blue-ribbon panel of archaeologists inspected the site and concluded that Dillehay’s analyses and interpretations were correct, accepting an age of 14,800 years old for the site.
Dr. Dillehay has published 25 books and over 200 refereed journal articles.  He has been a Visiting Professor at universities around the world and has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Southern University of Chile.
To learn more about Dr. Dillehay's work, or to purchase his books please visit:
Dr Dillehay's Vanderbilt College page
Dr Dillehay's Scientific Publications
Dr Dillehay's Books at Amazon