Clovis point

rdf:langString Clovis point

rdf:langString 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 were first found in 1929 by Ridgely Whiteman. A typical Clovis point is a medium to large lanceolate point with sharp edges, a third of an inch thick, one to two inches wide, and about four inches to nine inches long. Sides are parallel to convex, and exhibit careful pressure flaking along the blade edge. The broadest area is towards the base which is distinctly concave with a concave grooves called "flutes" removed from one or, more commonly, both surfaces of the blade. The lower edges of the blade and base are ground to dull edges for hafting. In the early 20th century, the history of the people in Americas was a constant argument. The only evidence left behind by the prehistoric people appeared to be the Clovis point. However, data were presented that displayed pre-Clovis migrations to America. The Solutrean Hypothesis proposes that Clovis Points are found throughout North America since humans migrated from Europe to North America across an Atlantic ice bridge, contrary to the mainstream belief that humans crossed from Siberia to Alaska via an ice bridge. The Solutrean Hypothesis is not generally accepted by mainstream archaeologists and anthropologists, who cite a lack of evidence for the theory and the strong evidence for a Siberian origin, but has been advocated by some archaeologists and anthropologists, most notably by Dennis Stanford of the Smithsonian Institute and Bruce Bradley of the University of Exeter. However, data were presented that displayed pre-Clovis migrations to America.