10 great places to dig deep into our shared human past

— -- To know where we're going, it's sometimes best to know where those who went before us have been. So with October being Archaeology Month, this is as good a time as any to follow in the path of our early ancestors. Brian Fagan, archaeologist and author of many popular books on the topic (brianfagan.com), shares his list of finds with Kathy Baruffi for USA TODAY.

Historic Jamestowne Virginia

"You can visit the excavations that recently exposed James Fort at this first permanent English settlement in North America," Fagan says. "Founded by settlers on May 14, 1607, it was the capital of the Virginia Colony for 93 years." A newly opened site museum documents the lives of America's first colonists. Visit nearby Colonial Williamsburg for a complete immersion in our early history. 757-229-1733; historicjamestowne.org

L'Anse aux Meadows Newfoundland, Canada

"Founded by the Norse in the 990s, this is the first European settlement in North America," Fagan says. "A museum and reconstruction provide a vivid impression of life in a remote encampment in an alien land." Allow an extra day and take the ferry to Red Bay, across the Strait of Belle Isle in Labrador, to see a 16th-century Basque whaling encampment, complete with shipwrecks. 709-623-2608; pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Alberta, Canada

"For thousands of years, Plains Indians hunted buffalo here, driving them into a natural basin behind a precipitous cliff, then stampeding them to their deaths below," Fagan says. "A beautifully designed site museum reconstructs details of more than 7,000 years of bison hunts and the lives of those who killed and butchered the great beasts. You also get to see details of the excavations that exposed the thick layers of bison bones under the cliff." 403-553-2731 head-smashed-in.com

Vindolanda Northumberland, England

"Hadrian's Wall was the most remote frontier in the Roman Empire of the second century," Fagan says. "Thanks to imaginative conservation, you can explore long lengths of the wall and its forts, notably around Housesteads. The nearby frontier post at Vindolanda offers an evocative impression of a Roman soldier's life in hostile country." View the ongoing excavations at Vindolanda and visit the Roman Army Museum. vindolanda.com