Cactus Hill
Cactus Hill Site (44SX202)
Pre-Clovis to Clovis·Pre-Clovis (Cactus Hill)·🇺🇸 Virginia, Sussex County, United States
About
About Cactus Hill
Sandy terrace site 1.2 km south of Nottoway River with buried A-horizon (Stratum E) with quartzite blades dated 18,000–15,000 BCE beneath Clovis. Joseph McAvoy excavated 1987–2001 after sand mining exposed dunes. Lower produced 25 blades, cores and hearth charcoal; upper Stratum B has Clovis points directly above without sterile separation — suggesting continuity vs bioturbation. One of Mid-Atlantic's strongest pre-Clovis stratified sand claims, with 2.2 m deep locus, buried A horizon and 0.8 m sand cap.
Why it mattersMid-Atlantic pre-Clovis sandy terrace with blade horizon directly below Clovis — tests stratification integrity.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Integrity of sand stratification — bioturbation vs intact horizon
- 02Age of lower blades — 16k vs 13k with OSL dating
Theories
- 01Clovis blades directly above pre-Clovis blade horizon — cultural continuity model
- 02Dune deflation as preservation mechanism for buried A horizon
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.16,000–12,700 BCE (Cactus Hill pre-Clovis to Clovis)
- Period
- Pre-Clovis to Clovis
- Culture
- Pre-Clovis (Cactus Hill)
- Builders
- Pre-Clovis (Cactus Hill) foragers
- Purpose
- Sandy terrace occupation above Nottoway River
- Abandoned
- c.12,700 BCE
- Rediscovered
- 1980s sand mining; excavated 1987–2001 McAvoy (Nottoway River Survey)
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.16,000 BCE
Pre-Clovis horizon (Stratum E) with quartzite blades and hearth
c.12,900 BCE
Clovis horizon (Stratum B) directly above without sterile
1987–2001
McAvoy excavations reveal stacked horizons
2000
Nottoway River Survey publication and pre-Clovis debate
On the ground
Structures & features
36.9000° N · 77.3300° W · 45 m · 2 mapped features
Sandy pre-Clovis horizon with quartzite blades
feature2.2 m deep buried A horizon with quartzite blades and hearth charcoal
36.9010° N · 77.3290° WClovis blade cache in upper sand
featureClovis blades and fluted points in Stratum B directly above pre-Clovis
36.8989° N · 77.3308° W