What is a Clovis flute?
Both faces of a Clovis point were often fluted in the final stages of manufacture. In technological terms, this is a percussion biface thinning flake struck from the base. These flute flakes usually extend about one-third of the length of the point.
What is the Clovis culture?
Clovis culture. After the discovery of several Clovis sites in eastern North America in the 1930s, the Clovis people came to be regarded as the first human inhabitants who created a widespread culture in the New World. However, this theory has been challenged, in the opinion of many archaeologists, by several archaeological discoveries,...
What is the oldest type of Clovis?
Clovis type arrowheads and points from about 10 to 15 thousand years ago. Not as old as Topper, but old. Grade 10 Fluted Paleo Clovis Point w/COA Papers. Estill Co. Kentucky Grade 10 Paleo Clovis made from Zaleski Chert Gallia County Ohio - w/2 COA's.
What is a Clovis point?
Clovis points are characterized by concave longitudinal shallow grooves called "flutes" on both faces one third or more up from the base to the pointed tip.
What does fluted in Clovis mean?
Both faces of a Clovis point were often fluted in the final stages of manufacture. In technological terms, this is a percussion biface thinning flake struck from the base. These flute flakes usually extend about one-third of the length of the point. The point bases were thinned for hafting.
What is a fluted stone?
Fluted stone tools are a distinctive, technologically advanced form of projectile points, including spearheads and arrowheads.
What is a Clovis point used for?
Clovis points are lance-shaped, partially fluted, and used for killing mammoths and other very large game (see Clovis complex).
What is a Clovis arrowhead?
Clovis arrowheads have concave base and convex sides. The broadest areas for Clovis arrowheads are situated either in the near midsection or toward the base of the point. Clovis arrowheads are usually crafted out of stone or chert. Clovis arrowheads have typical slender blades and have parallel curved edges.
Why is it called fluted?
Typically, the term 'fluting' refers to the grooves found on a column shaft or pilaster. Fluting features prominently in classical architecture; used in the columns of all the classical orders other the Tuscan. The Doric order has 20 grooves per column, while the Ionic, Corinthian and Composite orders have 24.
What is fluted shape?
Fluting in architecture consists of shallow grooves running along a surface.
What is a fluted point?
A general term applied to a wide range of chipped stone points found in the New World which are united in being of symmetrical outline, carefully manufactured, and finished with the removal of a single long parallel sided flake or flute from one or both sides.
Where are Clovis artifacts generally found?
Clovis points, which were made early in the Paleoindian period, have been found throughout North America, most often associated with the bones of mammoths. Folsom points were made later, and they are found mostly in the central and western parts of the continent, often in association with the bones of bison.
How old are Clovis artifacts?
Bracketing ages placed the Clovis artifacts between five radiocarbon ages averaging 10,600 ± 30 14C yr B.P. (12,685 to 12,620 cal yr B.P.) and two radiocarbon ages averaging 10,920 ± 50 14C yr B.P. (12,880 to 12,760 cal yr B.P.) (5, 20).
Why are arrowheads fluted?
This fluted point turned out to be an invention that allowed these colonizers to travel great distances with some confidence that their weaponry would hold up at least long enough until they could find the next rock quarry to make new points.
How can you tell a Clovis point?
Clovis points are wholly distinctive. Chipped from jasper, chert, obsidian and other fine, brittle stone, they have a lance-shaped tip and (sometimes) wickedly sharp edges. Extending from the base toward the tips are shallow, concave grooves called “flutes” that may have helped the points be inserted into spear shafts.
Where are Clovis arrowheads found?
New MexicoFor many years, scientists have thought that the first Americans came here from Asia 13,000 years ago, during the last ice age, probably by way of the Bering Strait. They were known as the Clovis people, after the town in New Mexico where their finely wrought spear points were first discovered in 1929.
What are Clovis weapons?
Specifically, they study stone projectile points, such as arrowheads and spear points, made by flint knapping, the ancient practice of chipping away at the edges of rocks to shape them into weapons and tools.
How long did the Clovis hunter survive?
Approximately 13,500 years after nomadic Clovis hunters crossed the frozen land bridge from Asia to North America, researchers are still asking questions and putting together clues as to how they not only survived in a new landscape with unique new challenges but adapted with stone tools and weapons to thrive for thousands of years.
What are the cultures that follow Clovis?
Post-Clovis cultures include the Folsom tradition, Gainey, Suwannee-Simpson, Plainview - Goshen, Cumberland, and Redstone. Each of these is thought to derive directly from Clovis, in some cases apparently differing only in the length of the fluting on their projectile points.
What is the Clovis point?
A hallmark of the toolkit associated with the Clovis culture is the distinctively shaped, fluted-stone spear point, known as the Clovis point. The Clovis point is bifacial and typically fluted on both sides. Clovis tools were produced during a roughly 300 year period.
What was the first human settlement in the Americas?
Known as "Clovis First", the predominant hypothesis among archaeologists in the latter half of the 20th century had been that the people associated with the Clovis culture were the first inhabitants of the Americas. The primary support for this was that no solid evidence of pre-Clovis human habitation had been found. According to the standard accepted theory, the Clovis people crossed the Beringia land bridge over the Bering Strait from Siberia to Alaska during the period of lowered sea levels during the ice age, then made their way southward through an ice-free corridor east of the Rocky Mountains in present-day Western Canada as the glaciers retreated.
What was the end of the Clovis culture?
The most commonly held perspective on the end of the Clovis culture is that a decline in the availability of megafauna, combined with an overall increase in a less mobile population, led to local differentiation of lithic and cultural traditions across the Americas. After this time, Clovis-style fluted points were replaced by other fluted-point traditions (such as the Folsom culture) with an essentially uninterrupted sequence across North and Central America. An effectively continuous cultural adaptation proceeds from the Clovis period through the ensuing Middle and Late Paleoindian periods.
What animals did the Clovis people hunt?
Clovis people are generally accepted to have hunted mammoths, as well as extinct bison, mastodon, gomphotheres, sloths, tapir, camelops, horse, and other smaller animals. More than 125 species of plants and animals are known to have been used by Clovis people in the portion of the Western Hemisphere they inhabited.
How many stone points were found in the Clovis?
The in situ finds of 1936 and 1937 included most of four stone Clovis points, two long bone points with impact damage, stone blades, a portion of a Clovis blade core, and several cutting tools made on stone flakes.
When was Clovis Point excavated?
The in situ Clovis point from Burnet Cave was excavated in late August, 1931 (and reported early in 1932). E. B. Howard brought the Burnet Cave point to the 3rd Pecos Conference, September 1931, and showed it around to several archaeologists interested in early humans (see Woodbury 1983).
When did Clovis material start?
These “Clovis” points (originally identified as Llano) pushed the antiquity of human presence in North America into the late Pleistocene period, or sometime before 11,000 BC. Stratigraphically, Clovis materials persistently lay below Folsom materials, suggesting an earlier occupation.
Where were fluted points discovered?
The first fluted points were discovered near Folsom, New Mexico, in the 1920s. These “Folsom” points provided the first glimpse of the antiquity of human culture in North America, because they were found in direct association with an extinct species of bison ( Bison antiquus ).
What are fluted point spears?
Fluted projectile points represent the earliest North American stone tool technology , although they comprise a small portion of the overall stone technology observed in the New World. These easily recognized spear points represent one form of technology used by the earliest human inhabitants of North and South America. Locally, the two most iconic fluted point traditions in Colorado were manufactured by the Clovis and Folsom peoples of the Paleo-Indian period. Fluted points are quite rare in the Colorado archaeological record, but their importance to understanding the people of the New World is fundamental.
Why are Clovis points so popular?
Clovis points are easily recognized because of their large size, their exquisite craftsmanship, and the beautiful stones toolmakers chose for them. Although there are regional differences in style, the technology for making the points is the same.
What did Clovis knappers do to preserve the flute scars?
Clovis knappers took care to preserve the flute scars, and did not pressure flake across them if they could help it. The final step was the heavy grinding to margins of the base. This was done to all finished points, and is a good indicator that the maker considered the point to be finished.
Where is Clovis Point in Arizona?
This Clovis point from Naco , Arizona, is quite thick. It has extensive pressure flaking across its surfaces. This seems common among points found at the Naco , Murray Springs, and Lehner mammoth kill sites. These sites are all from the same area along the San Pedro River in southern Arizona.
How long is a Clovis point?
Clovis points range in size. At the time of manufacture, the average Clovis point was probably about 4 to 5 inches long. The vast majority of these points were broken when they were used, however, and re-sharpened if possible.
What is the black line on a flute?
The point bases were thinned for hafting. The basal margins are heavily ground to about the length of the flutes. The black line outside the point indicate s the ground area.
What is the right side of a flake?
The right side of the flake is the opposite side of the flake edge removed when the flake went across the biface. Pressure Flakes. The purple flakes are pressure flakes from the final finishing work on the point. Some points show very little pressure flaking, and others show much more extensive pressure flaking.
What is the fluted part of a clovis?
Clovis arrowheads are fluted (leaf like furrows in the central part of the base). Folsom and Dalton also contains flutes but with Clovis, the flutes are extended from the base up to about one third to halfway of the entire point.
What is a clovis arrowhead?
Clovis arrowheads have concave base and convex sides. The broadest areas for Clovis arrowheads are situated either in the near midsection or toward the base of the point. Clovis arrowheads are usually crafted out of stone or chert. Clovis arrowheads have typical slender blades and have parallel curved edges. With the above mentioned identifying ...
Where did the Clovis Arrowheads live?
Most of them did not like farming and lived as nomadic hunters and foragers. They inhabited most of the areas near the riverbeds where they had the constant supply of water and food.
Is a Clovis arrowhead the same as a Folsom arrowhead?
This task can be difficult for collectors especially if they are not experts because Clovis arrowheads can be similar to Folsom and Dalton point types. Even so, I will enumerate the identifying characteristics of Clovis arrowheads to make the task easier for you. Clovis arrowheads are generally the largest when compared to Folsom and Dalton type ...
How many Clovis points are there?
Many Clovis points have been found over the decades since they were first identified as a distinct arrowhead type in 1932. People possess at least 10,000 Clovis points in total. While people have more than a few of them, they are still rare enough to be expensive.
When were Folsom points discovered?
Folsom points replaced Clovis points and were used from 9500 BC to 8000 BC. When they were first discovered in the 1920s, archeologists were surprised that such ancient points existed in the Americas. Many people had assumed that the Americas had not been inhabited that long ago.
How much are Folsom points worth?
Like Clovis points, Folsom points can also be worth thousands of dollars. Large Folsom points found in New Mexico are currently worth $4000 or not much less than that. The prices are all over the place, with a few thousand dollars for a large point in good condition being very roughly a normal price.
Is a Clovis arrowhead a arrowhead?
Therefore, probably no Clovis "arrowheads" are truly arrowheads. The Clovis points are large, fluted (grooved), and are made of chert or more common stones. They are a distinctive type of technology that was replaced more than once before contact with Europeans. Clovis points are one to six inches long and much thinner.
Do Clovis points have grooves?
Many people had assumed that the Americas had not been inhabited that long ago. While Clovis points only have grooves running along a small part of the spear point, Folsom points have grooves all the way from the base to the tip. The grooves may have helped attach the point to the wooden shaft.
Overview
Clovis points are the characteristically fluted projectile points associated with the New World Clovis culture, a prehistoric Paleo-American culture. They are present in dense concentrations across much of North America and they are largely restricted to the north of South America. Clovis points date to the Early Paleoindian period, with all known points dating from roughly 13,500 to 12,800 years ago. Clovis fluted points are named after the city of Clovis, New Mexico, where examples …
Description
Clovis points are thin, fluted projectile points created using bifacial percussion flaking (that is, each face is flaked on both edges alternatively with a percussor). To finish shaping and sharpening the points, they are sometimes pressure flaked along the outer edges.
Clovis points are characterized by concave longitudinal shallow grooves calle…
Age and cultural affiliations
Whether Clovis toolmaking technology was native to the Americas or originated through influences from elsewhere is a contentious issue among archaeologists. Lithic antecedents of Clovis points have not been found in northeast Asia, from where the first human inhabitants of the Americas are believed by the majority of archaeologists to have originated. Some archaeologists have argued that similarities between points produced by the Solutrean culture in the Iberian peni…
Distribution
Clovis points were first discovered near the city of Clovis, New Mexico, and have since been found over most of North America and as far south as Venezuela. Significant Clovis finds include the Anzick site in Montana; the Blackwater Draw type site in New Mexico; the Colby site in Wyoming; the Gault site in Texas; the Simon site in Idaho; the East Wenatchee Clovis Site in Washington; and the Fenn cache, which came to light in private hands in 1989 and whose place of discovery is un…
See also
• Bare Island projectile point
• Cascade point
• Cumberland point
• Eden point
• Folsom point
External links
• Clovis Points at the site in Gault, Texas
• Virginia Department of Historic Resources
Overview
The Clovis culture is a prehistoric Paleoamerican culture, named for distinct stone tools found in close association with Pleistocene fauna at Blackwater Locality No. 1 near Clovis, New Mexico, in the 1920s and 1930s. It appears around 11,500–11,000 uncalibrated years before present (YBP) at the end of the last glacial period and is characterized by the manufacture of "Clovis points" a…
Description
A hallmark of the toolkit associated with the Clovis culture is the distinctively shaped, fluted-stone spear point, known as the Clovis point. The Clovis point is bifacial and typically fluted on both sides. Clovis tools were produced during a roughly 300-year period. Archaeologists do not agree on whether the widespread presence of these artifacts indicates the proliferation of a single p…
Disappearance of Clovis
The most commonly held perspective on the end of the Clovis culture is that a decline in the availability of megafauna, combined with an overall increase in a less mobile population, led to local differentiation of lithic and cultural traditions across the Americas. After this time, Clovis-style fluted points were replaced by other fluted-point traditions (such as the Folsom culture) with an essentially uninterrupted sequence across North and Central America. An effectively continu…
Discovery
On 29 August 1927, the first evidence of Clovis presence in the Americas was discovered near Folsom, New Mexico. At this site they found the first in situ Folsom point with the extinct B. antiquus bones. This confirmation of a human presence in the Americas during the Pleistocene inspired many people to start looking for evidence of early humans. Another earlier example was discovered by George McJunkin, a cowboy, who found an ancient bison (Bison antiquus, an extin…
Clovis Paleo-Indians
Available genetic data show that the Clovis people are the direct ancestors of roughly 80% of all living Native American populations in North and South America, with the remainder descended from ancestors who entered in later waves of migration. As reported in February 2014, DNA from the 12,600-year-old remains of Anzick boy, found in Montana, has affirmed this connection to the peoples of the Americas. In addition, this DNA analysis affirmed genetic connections back to an…
Clovis First
This theory, known as "Clovis First", has been the predominant hypothesis among archaeologists in the second half of the 20th century. According to Clovis First, the people associated with the Clovis culture were the first inhabitants of the Americas. The primary support for this claim was that no solid evidence of pre-Clovis human habitation had been found. According to the standard accepted theory, the Clovis people crossed the Beringia land bridge over the Bering Strait from Sib…
Alternatives to Clovis First
There have been a great number of archaeological findings across the Americas that date the arrival of humans to the Americas as prior to 11,500–11,000 uncalibrated years before present (YBP). The Buttermilk Creek Complex, located in Salado, Texas, is a site where over 15,000 artifacts have been found. These artifacts are composed of a variety of small stone tool assemblages. These arti…
Other sites
In approximate reverse chronological order:
• Pedra Furada, Serra da Capivara National Park, in the state of Piauí, Brazil. Site with evidence of non-Clovis human remains, a rock painting rupestre art drawings from at least 12,000–6,000 BP. Hearth samples C-14 dates of 48–32,000 BP were reported in a Nature article (Guidon and Delibrias 1986). N…