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A morphometric assessment of the intended function of cached Clovis points
Briggs Buchanan1, J David Kilby, Bruce B Huckell
1Human Evolutionary Studies Program and Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Plos One
|February 21, 2012
Summary
Cached Clovis points were likely made to arm hunting weapons, not for rituals or as saws. Morphometric analysis confirmed these points match hunting tools in shape and size.
Area of Science:
- Archaeology
- Paleoanthropology
- Lithic Analysis
Background:
- The function of cached Clovis points remains debated among archaeologists.
- Proposed uses include hunting weapons, ritual objects, signaling devices, and tools like saws.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that cached Clovis points were primarily intended as armatures for hunting weapons.
- To compare morphometric characteristics of cached Clovis points with those from kill and camp sites.
Main Methods:
- Morphometric comparison of Clovis points from caches and from archaeological sites (kill/camp).
- Analysis of shape and size relationships (allometry) between cached and site-recovered points.
Main Results:
- Cached Clovis points exhibited similar shapes but were generally larger than points from kill/camp sites.
- The allometric trajectories for both cached and site-recovered points were consistent, supporting the hunting weapon hypothesis.
Conclusions:
- The study's findings strongly support the hypothesis that cached Clovis points were produced to arm hunting weapons.
- Alternative hypotheses regarding ritual use, signaling, or sawing functions were not supported by the morphometric data.
