Small Batch Science: Episode 6- Clovis Point and Biface Manufacturing Technology

Putting out a lot of information to jump headlong into the topic of Clovis point manufacturing from early bifaces to preforms through unfinished points where the repeated patterned behavior of early knappers is most evident, especially when able to use high quality stone in large packages (like at Gault, KY's Little River Complex and many other big Clovis manufacturing sites).
Individual useful lives of points that get broken, have impact or use damage, are resharpened, rebased, retipped, etc, contain patterned behavior but the changes and repairs are highly specific to each case (meaning idiosyncratic) and are not as patterned as the manufacturing evidence.
Clovis knappers at the big manufacturing sites, where they are unconstrained by material quality and stone package size go large very consistently. Efficiency and conservation of stone are NOT what they are worrying about in these settings. When away from sources of good big stones the adaptive strategy changes to a much more conservative conservation- rejuvenation- prolonging the usable tools as long as possible approach.
Looking at both parts of this elongated process of making and using tools, especially when you sort out different site types and the kind of data that you will see at say a camp or kill site versus a manufacturing site, makes it very clear that the overarching goal of the Clovis toolkit is to maximize performance, no matter what the setting. Which of course changes with the conditions on the ground. Not something that should surprise us for people that thrived on that now long gone Pleistocene landscape!

[@madisoneclectic3101]

People say this a lot, but it really is true this channel is the most under-subbed, underappreciated, incredibly awesome channel ever. Superfan here. Can't thank you enough. Absolutely love your fact-filled videos and deep expertise. Awesome collection from Pete Bostrom. Usually watch anonymously on Roku.

[@paleotopioneer7779]

Thank you so much for your very kind words. They are greatly appreciated... and true.. it's all true. 😁😁😁 Pete has made a spectacular array of casts over the years. About half of mine are from him. The rest are other folks making their own, a few from Mike Frank (sometimes through the Smithsonian) and a bunch made at the Florida Museum or at U Texas that I either made entirely or helped with when I was learning.

[@LostinTimeYT]

Wow, excellent presentation. Just found your channel, cant wait to go through your other vids.

[@paleotopioneer7779]

Thanks, will be making some more shortly.

[@humperdink46]

That was great, I'll be checking out your other videos!

[@PRE_7.3]

The world works in mysterious ways ya know …. For instance how I stumbled upon your channel. I was intrigued by a picture of fresh vegetables and fruit that was being sold at “Wards Supermarket” and so I found myself on their website scrolling the weekly deals, which led me to your firefly farms Facebook page. I couldn’t help but scroll through your posts as they kept a smile across my face with every shared picture from y’all’s farm.(the pig that rolls with the goats cracked me up😅) Which eventually led me to the video of you speaking on the seeds and other things found from mastodons 34,500 years ago that are native to FL. I’ve only watched a few of your videos but so far I’m really enjoying the information you’re delivering. I look for arrowheads ALL the time, so this is very applicable for me. I want to express my appreciation for your videos and everything your farm produces and provides. All y’all do is highly valued and hope you continue with more content.

[@artifactsantlersoh]

Really enjoyed this production of yours. Look forward to the rest of your videos.

[@paleotopioneer7779]

Thanks, The next group of them on all the animals should be a lot of fun.

[@derikcartwright8596]

Watching this helped me out tremendously I understood you so well. Now, I have something you need to see found June 9th north central Arkansas near White River. Found by me and in my possession, can't tell and haven't seen material like this, but I am not an expert. So many points you made in this is displayed in what I have found. Performance level can be determined high level by simply holding on your hand. Thanks and hope you get a hold of me I know you really want to see this!!!

[@rustyshackelfordiii5587]

Sounds sweet. I'm in Fayetteville AR and recently saved a fluted clovis off a heavy equipment ramp in jhonson. If you can upload a video. I would appreciate it

[@chuckokelley2448]

Greatest thing known to mankind A thought Can spread fast and wide

[@frankparrish5657]

Thankyou for showing the Venezuelan Clovis. That is legit! I have personally examined all the fluted points in Fairbanks Alaska and....No Clovis. There was one very nice chert double fluted legit perfect in every way, ears and all Folsom, with several small Holocene sized points that had microblades driven off their base. LOTS of microblades up there. Your preclovis from Florida looks identical to the Silver Lake and Cougar Mountain Western Stem Points all over the desert from California to Oklahoma.

[@highplainschipper6564]

Great stuff.keep em comin

[@paleotopioneer7779]

Thanks, working on the next run of videos on all the animals and plants at Clovis and earlier sites at the end of the Pleistocene across North America

[@chucklearnslithics3751]

I tend to distinguish between "edge to edge" flaking and "overshot", where overshot takes the far edge with a diving "reverse hinge". (Diagnostic curved flake). Edge to edge is a nice long flake that approaches the far edge but does not curl off or remove the far edge. Do these terms match yours when speaking about Clovis "overshot"? I find it's a subtle difference that some don't distinguish, so just want to understand your thinking on Clovis overshot.

[@paleotopioneer7779]

Hi Chuck, Sorry I just saw this. What you are talking about is a feather termination and certainly counts as an overshot but the trouble is you may not actually be able to tell it is an overshot because, essentially, the far end is not there. IE it would be about impossible to really tell if the flake went all the way across the face. You could see it on the biface but the flake by it self would not tell the whole story.

[@courtlanddennis3658]

I live in North Carolina I found a milky quartz translucent clovis point close to 3” I believe. It was my 2nd ever find of anything it’s only fluted on one side I’d love to show you it’s neat and I’d like to know more about it.

[@paleotopioneer7779]

Hiya, happy to tell you what I can- email is best [e-mail]

[@courtlanddennis3658]

Sent some photos

[@captainflint89]

i believe the smaller and thinner clovis points have a better chance of making the vitals on a mastadon

[@paleotopioneer7779]

Hiya, A number of people have said similar things over the years. in the 1950s when Naco, AZ was excavated- a single mammoth with 8 Clovis points, it was suggested there were 2 calibers. The size range of points recovered at the famous Clovis kill sites is 25mm to 125mm. The smallest one came from the Mammoth kill at Blackwater Draw dug by the El Llano arch society in 62/63. From all the experimenting I've done, and read about, my take is the point has 1 single job. That is to open a hole and the kinetic force of the atlatl dart does the work- Mass and speed really matter, the point itself- not so much If you think of the point as the leading edge of the weapon system, rather than as a projectile by itself, it should come pretty clear that the point just needs to open a hole bigger that the diameter of the dart shaft and the KE is what really causes the damage.

[@artifactsantlersoh]

I agree. As a big game bow hunter, there’s no way I would shoot (or throw) a spear with a massive point. There is a reason why smaller Clovis points are typically found in association with big game finds such as mastodon.

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Terrific info, off the charts potential, but in need of closeup camerawork and some editing, graphics, and attention to sound.

[@rogeremeadows]

Excellent!

[@paleotopioneer7779]

thank you. Lots of tangents to follow up too.

[@bobsanders3063]

Hello, I had a question that I can't seem to wrap my head around, I have seen clovis points discovered almost lying close to the surface, and around creek beds, you would think 12-13 thousand years of foliage they would be far deeper in the earth and harder to find, can you explain why they are so visible and easily discoverable?

[@paleotopioneer7779]

Hi Bob, You've hit on an incredibly complex geology problem here. Pretty much everywhere cycles back and forth between periods of accumulation and erosion of sediments. The specific sequence of those events are exactly what we try to determine when we find artifacts "in place" . What that place really means makes all the difference in the world. I think I ought to do a video on just Clovis contexts probably but I'll give one good example. At Blackwater Draw #1- the Clovis type site between Portales and Clovis- the dust bowl era of erosion was responsible for exposing artifacts and animal remains all over the place (all over the plains really). Whatever sediments had been deposited over them had been at least partially eroded and then heavy equipment used to gather gravel at the site dug them out even more. The Clovis artifacts nearby were completely exposed at the surface and even though there had been 13,000 years of these cycles with enough sediment to cover them winning out... that battle was lost in the 1930s. A particularly tantalizing aspect at Clovis is the fact that those 13,000 year old artifacts are sitting on top of a 17,000 year old land surface- meaning there had been a period of erosion that ended right about the time the Clovis people got there so their stuff gets buried in time for it to be preserved. This is really just a partial answer- think I will work on outlining a new video. thanks for the inspiration, Andy

[@frankparrish5657]

In 2016 I found …4 Prehistoric Clovis Preforms! .....They still lye on the ground to this day, 10 feet apart ish: They are all 13.7 to 14 cm long, ovate shape, overshot flaking, the works. These were better than any pieces I have seen in 15 years of Archaeology. I was on vacation when I found them at 11,300 feet in the Rockies. Three are dark purple, high quality quartzite. One is striped Wyoming Tiger Chert. The most delicate, only 1/4th inch thick, purple, and 3 inches wide, was left behind because it broke due to heat stress. . Another was discarded because three attempts to remove a plateau failed. A third end shocked during knapping, and was discarded. The fourth is 17.5 cm long and is a half rounded cobble preform with two beautiful overshot flakes on one face, the other side retains cortex of a flattish-river cobble. it is 4.5 cm thick and "unfinished", much thicker than all the others but still great flaking. I didn't have a camera but made drawings and haven't been back.

[@artifactsantlersoh]

Do you have photos of these? I would love to see them, I can share my email if you do. Thanks

[@frankparrish5657]

@@artifactsantlersoh I am working on getting the drawings published.

[@frankparrish5657]

@@artifactsantlersoh For all flintknappers tired of breaking Clovis. Get 2 pieces of oak yardstick 10 to 12cm long. Pitch two buttons of wood to one end of each. Wrap the tip of you clovis in a 1 inch wide strip of leather, then sandwich the point between the wood slats with the tip and base wrapped tightly with string- the base is now ready for fluting between the buttons-looks like a giant wood staple puller. They don't break anymore. Good Luck all.

[@highplainschipper6564]

What is the name of this Clovis tech book you fellas wrote?

[@paleotopioneer7779]

Clovis Technology 2010 Bruce Bradley, Michael Collins, and yours truly Unfortunately there are not a lot of them around most of the time but... www.amazon.com/Clovis-Technology-Archaeological-Bradley-2010-12-01/dp/B01F9G87I6 whoa- Found it free as a pdf file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/ClovistechnologyBook.pdf