The Clovis Points a Look into the American History - Essay Example

? The Clovis Points A look into the American History The Clovis Points a look into the American History The Clovis Points are stone projectile points which have been carved out in a very specific shape, flaked on the sides. The artifacts, some of which are stored in the Indiana State Museum are among the few remaining traces of the Clovis culture and have These artifacts have been thought of being used as weaponry tools, as they could have been attached to spear handles and would have been very effective in defending oneself or causing injury to the opponent. However, their main usage seems to be for the hunters who could make use of the pointed weapon in big game hunting. Caches of these points have been found all over the North America, being discovered through various means including construction crews and artifact collectors. The interesting thing about these objects is the similarity in the technique used to make them and what it reveals about the residents of the area in bygone eras. Named after their first discovery site in Mexico, Clovis, the Clovis points are a representative of the Clovis Culture which is considered to be the earliest group of Paleoindians to occupy the North American regions and their time is believed to coincide with the time the first Americans arrived on the continent from Asia (Haynes, 2002). These tools are seen to be a proof that the people of the culture were mainly hunter-gatherers who relied on the availability of such tools to ensure a living based on hunting large animals. It seems that they built no enduring structures and remained only a few days or weeks in one area usually one which was near water and would have attracted their prey. Given the lack of knowledge about their overall lifestyles the Clovis points provide a unique insight to these people. The oldest Clovis points date back to 13,000 years ago. Two recent discoveries made with regards to the Clovis Points bring some evidence about these assumptions. Firstly, bio chemical analysis of some of the tools from the Mahaffey Cache, found in Boulder, Colorado showed the presence of animal protein on them. These tools were used to hunt and butcher ice-age camels and horses which were only present in North America around 13000 years ago- this analysis serves as evidence against the idea that the Clovis Points might have been ritualistic in nature with no practical exercise in mind. These tools were formed purely out a necessary need (University of Colorado, 2009). Another intriguing fact about the Clovis Points is that despite their wide distribution there was a distinctive similarity between the artifacts found in different caches. “New high-tech 3D computer analysis of 50 spear points made more than 10,000 years ago by North America’s mysterious Clovis people has revealed the stone points display an astounding symmetry despite having been found in caches as far apart as Maryland, Arizona and Colorado.” (Smithsonian science, 2012).The basic theories put forward were based around the ideas that the travelling nature of the people would have resulted in the loss of tools which were left behind or forgotten in places of rest and picked up by other tribes who would have seen the utility in them and attempted to copy the stone work. Or perhaps many different tribes all reached the same method of carving these tools based on trial and error and selection of the best option. But these theories were just that, theories without any scientific data to prove them either ways. Only very recently has a proper study been done to understand the factor behind the similarity and whether there could be anything more than simple coincidence or copy-cat behavior behind the construction of the Clovis Points. The researchers in question used “portable laser scanners to construct 3D surface models” of these artifacts so that they could study the nuances and contours of the scars, where flakes were removed from the stone, in greater depth. “Individual patterns of variation and symmetry were explored and compared”. (Sholts, et al, 2012). The results were astonishing as they revealed that the technology used to make these points was so precise that it couldn’t possibly have been a result of simple copying. It seemed that the technology was a taught one which couldn’t have been learned. The research results now indicate the technology for forming the Clovis points had to be passed down from one knapper (stone point makers) to the other; possibly the trade moved within families. But individual knappers could have very easily taught others or shared better ways of forming the tools from one another at mutual meeting points like quarries for stone (Smithsonian Science, 2012). The results of this research have been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science The Clovis Points are great objects to study in order to learn about the communication patterns of the people of that era. It is suggested that the networks through which the technology moved was fast enough to have covered the area is question within just two hundred years- not a small feat for people without any written or fast verbal means of communication. The tools show the value of shared knowledge and how it would help in the survival of a large number of people. Furthermore, the Clovis Points may the first in a line of evidence to provide us with better information on how the pre historic lived their social lives- communication was as vital for them before as it is for us nowadays. These stone artifacts are more than just tools or weapons; they were a part of the life of the people of Clovis culture and probably ensured their survival. They bring an understanding about the societies which existed before us on this land - what they ate, how they spend their time, how they interacted- and as such allow us to form a connection with our predecessors. “"There is a magic to these artifacts," said Mahaffy, the owner of the site in Boulder where 83 tone implements were found. “One of the things you don't get from just looking at them is how incredible they feel in your hand --they are almost ergonomically perfect and you can feel how they were used. It is a wonderful connection to the people who shared this same land a long, long time ago." (University of Colorado, 2009). References Justice, N.D. (1995). Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points of the Midcontinent and Eastern United States. Indiana University Press. Hranicky, W.J. (2009). Recording Clovis Points: Techniques, Examples, and Methods. AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana. Boldurian, A. T., and Cotter, J L. (1999). Clovis Revisited: New Perspectives on Paleoindian Adaptations from Blacwater Draw, New Mexico.  UPenn Museum of Archaeology. Haynes, G. (2002) The Early Settlement of North America: The Clovis Era.  Cambridge University Press. Stanford, D.J, and Bradley, B.A. (2012). Across Atlantic Ice: The Origin of America's Clovis Culture. University of California Press, Londan, England. Smithsonian Science. (2012). 3D imaging adds remarkable new understanding of North America’s mysterious Clovis people. Anthropology, featured. Retrieved from: http://smithsonianscience.org/2012/05/3d-imaging-adds-remarkable-dimension-to- understanding-of-north-americas-clovis-stone-points/ Sholts, S.B,  Stanford, D.J,  Flores, L.M and Warmlander, S.K.T.S. (2012). Flake scar patterns of Clovis points analyzed with a new digital morphometrics approach: evidence for direct transmission of technological knowledge across early North America. Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 39, Issue 9, September 2012, Pages 3018–3026. University of Colorado. (2009). 13,000-Year-Old Stone Tool Cache in Colorado Shows Evidence of Camel, Horse Butchering. Retrieved from: http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2009/02/25/13000-year-old-stone-tool-cache- colorado-shows-evidence-camel-horse Read More