Before they found God,

Ancient stone tools discovered in South Carolina

Finds at Savannah River site could rewrite America's history

Published on: 06/17/08

HILTON HEAD, S.C. — A local man has unearthed two ancient stone tools in an archaeological dig in Allendale County, S.C., a rare find that could provide more information about how early Americans lived.

And if more evidence proves the artifact is a new type of tool and one archaeologists haven't found before, it could be named after Matthew Carey of Hilton Head Island.

In 1998 — thanks to Beaufort County resident David Topper — Goodyear found artifacts at this ancient rock quarry near the Savannah River that indicate humans lived here 37,000 years earlier than originally thought. Goodyear named the site "Topper" after the resident who found it.

The site is one of a handful of excavations across the country where evidence is being uncovered that could rewrite America's history.

So far, there have been two sets of artifacts found at Topper:

• Stone flakes and tools that date to the Clovis people, which history books say are the first Americans who arrived here 13,000 years ago via a land bridge from Asia.

• A fire pit that contained plant remains that date to 50,000 years ago, which could help prove Goodyear's theory about when humans lived here.

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/06/17/ancient_tools_south_carolina.html