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Cognito · Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:09 am Post subject:

So, here's something very interesting picked out of the paleo site. A bifacially carved piece of red jasper (albeit broken). I am only showing one side since it is late, but the other side is the same. Some dude took a tremendous amount of time carving a channel along the edges of this piece. Was it a pendant? (Sorry for the fuzzy picture):

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ROXRCUL

DavidCampbell · Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:48 am Post subject:

What material is this made of, Cognito? Another possibility is a "nutting stone". These are found here in Texas from the Archaic on but there's no reason to think they were used in Paleoindian times or earlier. These are distinguished from other perforated stones formed naturally by the ground edges of the aperture, like yours. Were there nut bearing trees at Lake Manix? A fire starter does seem to be the best explanation, though. Also iron pyrites have been found with ground grooves which were used as fire starters but that doesn't seem to fit your find.
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David Campbell
"The going's getting weird, so I'm turning pro."

Cognito · Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 11:56 am Post subject: Material

DavidCampbell · Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:13 pm Post subject:

That should have read"there's no reason not to believe they were not used in Paleoindian times or earlier". The Gault Clovis Site here in Texas forced a reassessment of subsistence strategies indicating that Archaic food gathering from vegetable sources started then. Previously the big game hunter myth reigned supreme. From what I've seen of extreme paleo tools, those people were probably scavengers and foragers more than hunters, killing big game opportunistically.
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David Campbell
"The going's getting weird, so I'm turning pro."

Cognito · Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 2:33 pm Post subject: Scavengers/foragers

Oops ... I thought that was taken for granted. The paleos I am tracing were definitely scavengers and foragers. Big game hunting is just a Hollywood myth. These people lived among huge cave lions, smilodons, dire wolves, and giant cave bears, any of which could easily run down humans for sport. Life was dangerous. Although the water attracted herds and food, it also attracted predators. Hopefully, this guy is not reintroduced into the wild:

http://www.jgi.doe.gov/science/highlights/noonan0705.html

Of the hundreds of tools I have found, all of them are for cutting, chopping, etc. None of them appear to be suitable for hunting anything. Of course, arrowheads and spearpoints came later and, as expected, I have yet to find one arrowhead in the strata.
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ROXRCUL

Charlie Hatchett · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 898 Location: Austin, Texas

Hey, Pat.

When you get a chance, will you sharpen that sucker up. I'd like to take a close look at it.

That bird shape piece you showed a bit ago was interesting, indeed:

Any chance of talking you out of a profile shot of this one? It appears very Acheulean like, except the flake channels are running longitudinally.

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Charlie Hatchett
www.preclovis.com
http://forum.preclovis.com/

"Pregunte la Autoridad"

Cognito · Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 4:42 pm Post subject:

Charlie Hatchett · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 898 Location: Austin, Texas

Cognito · Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 1:03 am Post subject: Carved Jasper

Here is the front side of the carved jasper piece (broken):

Here is the back side of the carved jasper piece (broken):

Other items are forthcoming, but my camera keeps giving me some fuzzy pictures. Could it be the operator? Shocked

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ROXRCUL

Charlie Hatchett · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 898 Location: Austin, Texas

Mike · Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 10 Location: Freeport Texas

Cognito, I have been looking at your things, Nice.and for what it is worth I dont think you are seeing things?You have to be looking so you can find. I have found in researching,these things some of the old pros(educational fraternitys) are a hard bunch to sometimes understand?They have been doing things the same way for so long they have a hard time seeing anything new or unfamiliar?And I have only been at it for a second.And if it is as bad as I suspect, man is being cheated?So you pick up those stones, and if you run out of room my wife will make room? I just snapped? I might have a tainted(a geo found on the beach)stemmed paleo, like the one david is showing? On the coast Mike

DavidCampbell · Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 6:49 am Post subject:

Here's the artifact that I found last week in the trench behind my house. It is similar to the Calico type artifacts that I found at my old site in the lower levels. Yesterday I found a complete point in another test hole very near to where this one was found. It is a much later type and is likely Wichita or Caddo being a broad based barbed point about two inches in length similar to Plains Indian points commonly found around here. It was extremely encouraging though, as usually there are older occupation levels below these these late prehistoric artifacts. Just prior to finding it, I had found several pieces of older debitage in the trench this artifact came from.

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David Campbell
"The going's getting weird, so I'm turning pro."