Tiny glass beads from Venice made their way to Alaska decades before Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World. The beads, the color and size of blueberries, were uncovered in a house pit in Punyik Point, a seasonal Inuit camp near the Continental Divide in Alaska's Brooks Range. Archaeologists determined the objects were created between 1440 and 1480 following a radiocarbon-dating of twine that held the jewelry.

Researchers from the University of Alaska suggest the beads were among trinkets that passed hands through various trade routes — starting in Europe, then along the Silk Road to China, through Siberia and finally to the Bering Strait. According to the study, the new discovery resets the clock on when traded began between Europe and North America.