Clovis Points Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Clovis Points - Essay Example 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 Clovi s 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. â€Å"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 â€Å"portable laser scanne rs 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. â€Å"Individual patterns of variation and symmetry were explored and