Photo: Ancient buckle points to early Inuit contact with Asia

A University of Colorado excavation in Alaska has yielded a bronze artifact resembling a buckle that was found inside a house dug into the side of a sand-covered beach ridge occupied by early Inupiat about 1,000 years ago. The object, likely produced even earlier, more than 1,000 years ago, appears to have originated in East Asia. Researchers say its presence in Alaska may reflect early long-distance trade across the Bering Strait. (PHOTO BY JEREMY FOIN)