The age of Clovis—13,050 to 12,750 cal yr B.P (original) (raw)
Related papers
PaleoAmerica 1(2): 134-162, 2015
This paper reviews the published information, uncertainties about claims, and possible technological and cultural relationships of a sample of sites which have older-than-Clovis dates in North America. The goal is to trace the origins of “Classic” Clovis techno-cultural patterns. Some sites in the sample contain lithic artifacts and some do not. Production technology and artifact characteristics in a number of the lithic sites (such as Debra Friedkin and possibly Page-Ladsen) may be evidence of Clovis ancestry, but the lithic materials in most pre-Clovis sites cannot be explicitly linked to Clovis. A few nonlithics sites (such as Manis, Firelands, and Lindsay) may indicate a pre-Clovis pattern of large-mammal exploitation foreshadowing a later Clovis trait. Overall, the available data are incomplete or ambiguous, and, as a result, individual interpretations have produced incompatible models of Clovis origins.
Further Thoughts on the Age of the Sylwester Clovis Point: A Response to Haynes
PaleoAmerica, 2018
We are indebted to C. Vance Haynes Jr for his careful reading of our 2017 report and for proposing alternative explanations for our field observations. In response, we consider each of the alternatives, present additional data, and find that our main conclusionnamely that some Clovis points in California may be of early Holocene agedoes not require emendation in light of current knowledge.
Evidence for Pre-Clovis Sites in the Eastern United States
Peopling of the Americas, 2003
Over the past 25 years, a number of archaeological sites in eastern North America have manifested evidence of human occupations dating earlier than 11,500 RCYBP. These sites include Meadowcroft Rockshelter, Penn.; Cactus Hill, Va.; Saltville-2, Va.; and Topper, S.C. Except for Topper, pre-Clovis (earlier than 11,500 RCYBP) remains were encountered incidental to conducting normal research. Topper was intentionally tested for the possibility of pre-Clovis remains. This paper is a brief review of the geological contexts, dating, and artifactual evidence of these sites. Collectively, they indicate a late-glacial time range of approximately 12,000 to 16,000 RCYBP. Technologically, Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Cactus Hill are the most similar, with evidence of bifacial points, unifaces, and prismatic blades. Although probable bone and ivory artifacts are present, lithics at Saltville- 2 are expedient and minimal, making comparisons difficult. Topper, which is a chert quarry, is distinctive in that it has no evidence of bifaces and is dominated by small flake tools with an emphasis on burin-like tools. More geoarchaeological fieldwork is needed to target landforms that possess sediments deposited from 18,000 to 12,000 RCYBP. The Southeast may be a good place to prospect for these sites, given its milder climate during late-glacial times. The purpose of this paper is to present briefly archaeological evidence of human occupation of the eastern United States prior to 11,500 RCYBP, the conventional pre-Clovis temporal boundary. Four sites are reviewed for their artifacts, geological contexts, and dating. While questions, reservations, and rejections exist within the profession concerning some or all of these sites, nevertheless it is believed that they sufficiently meet these criteria and thus constitute evidence.
Clovis is the most geographically extensive occupation of any time in the archaeological record of the Americas. One aspect of this geographic diversity is the remarkable mobility and adaptability of Clovis people. Understanding adaptability requires, in part, understanding the environmental conditions at the time and the rate and direction of environmental change. Another aspect of adaptability, and one more germane to archaeological research, is that of land use. Where were Clovis people on the landscape, and can we tell how they used the local environment? This chapter addresses issues of climate and landscape conditions that Clovis populations had to contend with. The Clovis landscape, both in terms of geomorphology and vegetation, was undergoing significant changes before, during, and after the Clovis occupation. Continental ice sheets were retreating, and sea level, though 40 to 50 m lower than today, was rising, rapidly inundating the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains. Stream systems were undergoing changes in discharge, sedimentology, and flow regime whether or not they had glaciated headwaters. Discharges generally were declining, but remained higher or variable compared with today. Paleo-lakes were changing dramatically, but also must have provided a wide array of resources to the early foragers. Proglacial lakes evolved as a function of changes in ice-margin position and drainage direction, and as a result of isostatic rebound. In the Great Basin and Southwest, some paleo-lakes and pluvial lakes were low or completely dry in the late LGM and then came up just before or during the YDC, while others were high before the YDC and then declined just before or during the YDC. Nonetheless many basins had either standing water or wetlands, and, therefore, an array of resources for humans.