Damani and Paul,

I thank you both for your kind words about my story. From feedback I got back in the Indian Country Media Network days, I became convinced that the controversy over dating the beginning of the anthropocene is more obscure than it should be.

I regret I did not take good notes when I first researched Cahokia, because I found an old piece that actually credited the building of Cahokia to space aliens! It’s only all these years later I’m wishing I had the citation to compare the date to Jules Verne….

In those days, I had never heard of the Amazon rainforest and so had no opinion on what it might hide. The fires raging across Amazonia right now are a tragedy for all humankind, but I do hope archaeological teams are converging on the blackened stumps to look for what silver lining may be in that monster cloud.