I was dead wrong about that Clovis site in New Mexico

Back in the 90s I figured those old spear points were just rocks that happened to look worked. Then I spent a Saturday with a retired geology professor from UNM who showed me the flaking patterns under a magnifying glass. He pointed out the pressure points and the way the edges were deliberately sharpened, not natural breaks. Made me realize I had no clue what I was looking at for 20 years. Anyone else ever get humbled by an expert at a dig site?

2 comments

2 Comments

campbell.david29d ago

Yeah I read a book that said most "arrowheads" are just broken rocks too.

abbychen29d ago

You ever bring a bag of rocks to a real expert and feel your whole world shift? I did that with a retired USGS guy who showed me how to spot use-wear on broken flakes. @campbell.david, those books don't hold a candle to someone who's literally mapped the debris field. Grab a 10x loupe and check the edges for tiny step fractures - that's what separates a real tool from a random chunk. Once you see it, you can't unsee it.