12,300-year-old fire pit found at Hill Air Force Base

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HILL AIR FORCE BASE • An ancient tribal fire pit with tools, a spear tip and tobacco seeds that archaeologists say dates back 12,300 years was recently discovered on a military testing range at Hill Air Force Base.

The Standard Examiner reports that an archaeological team uncovered the hearth this month. The artifacts will be curated through the Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Hill archaeologist and Cultural Resource Manager Anya Kitterman worked with Far Western Anthropological Research Group to uncover charcoal, animal bone fragments and other remnants from the cooking pit.

Far Western Senior Archaeologist Daron Duke says the age of the hearth and the items within it are remnants from some of the Great Basin's earliest inhabitants.