Archaeologist publishes so-called first complete look at technology of Clovis culture

As many of you may already know- many of our artifacts at SRAC have no real explanation because they simply date too far back in time to be remembered what their use was for and are constantly discussed and theorized about.

The picture shown here is called a "Clovis" point, and it is believed to be the earliest point that can be found in North America. It was found in Milan, PA. These points have been found in the remains of woolly mammoths at many sites, but to date, none have been found like this in PA. Yet when the mammoth was excavated at Spring Lake, in Bradford County, PA - (what our mammoth exhibit is based on) - the archaeologists took special care to look for these points and any other man made tools, to no avail.

Because of this, I wanted to let everyone know that the San Marcos (Texas) Daily Record reports that, "A new book on the stone and bone tool technologies of Clovis culture of 13,500 years ago, published by faculty at Texas State University, is the first complete examination of the tools themselves of the Clovis culture used them and transmitted their production.

The book, “Clovis Technology (International Monographs in Prehistory, Archaeological Series 17),” covers the Clovis culture's making and use of stone blades, bi-faces and small tools as well as artifacts such as projectile points, rods, daggers, awls, needles, handles, hooks and ornaments made from bone, ivory, antler and teeth.

It examines the tools used to make other tools, such as billets, wrenches, gravers and anvils, and explores how Clovis culture acquired and transmitted stone tool production."

They also go on to say that "recent discoveries at Gault and elsewhere, of stone and bone artifacts predating Clovis, have convinced most archaeologists that a culture existed in the Americas at least 500 to 1,000 years before Clovis..." which is contradictory to many of the common beliefs today that state that the Clovis were the earliest (Paleo) man in North America.

It seems that at least parts of our earliest prehistory including the era and demise of the woolly mammoths are still not written stone. This all to me is what makes it an interesting time for SRAC and our mission.

To read the full article from the Daily Record - click here.