A 13,900 year old projectile point is likely the oldest evidence of mastodon hunts in the Americas.
“We isolated the bone fragments, printed them out and assembled them,” said co-author Michael Waters, an anthropologist and director of Texas A&M’s Center for the Study of First Americans,. “This clearly showed this was the tip of a bone projectile point. This is the oldest bone projectile point in the Americas and represents the oldest direct evidence of mastodon hunting in the Americas.”
The Manis projectile is about 13,900 years old and predates other projectiles found at the site by about 900 years. These tools are associated with theThe Manis site mastodon rib with embedded point to the left. CREDIT: Center for the Study of the First Americans, Texas A&M University. “What is important about Manis is that it’s the first and only bone tool that dates older than Clovis. At the other pre-Clovis site, only stone tools are found,”. “This shows that the First Americans made and used bone weapons and likely other types of bone tools.”
According to the study, the projectile got stuck within the mastodon’s rib. However, the bone used to make the point on the projectile came from another mastodon’s leg bone. It was also shaped into a point on purpose. “The spear with the bone point was thrown at the mastodon. It penetrated the hide and tissue and eventually came into contact with the rib. The objective of the hunter was to get between the ribs and impair lung function, but the hunter missed and hit the rib,”
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ancient castle used by Romans and Byzantines destroyed in Turkey earthquakeThe earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday has leveled Gaziantep Castle, a historic site and tourist attraction in southeastern Turkey.
Read more »
Turkey earthquake damages ancient Gaziantep Castle, dating back 2,000 yearsAn ancient castle in Turkey was one of the historic monuments damaged when major earthquakes hit the country and neighboring Syria, killing more than 2,000 people on Monday.
Read more »
Hiking an Ancient Japanese Pilgrimage Route With the Last Monk of HonguWhy one writer decided to take the Kumano Kodo trail through the forests of Japan—without a guide.
Read more »
What did the ancient Egyptian pyramids look like when they were built?The ancient Egyptian pyramids have stood for thousands of years and are among the world's most enduring monuments. But what did the pyramids look like when they were first built?
Read more »
This Supposedly Rare Ancient Fossil Was Actually Made by Something Much More RecentThe ancient Bhimbetka rock shelters in India are crucial to understanding the subcontinent's geological history, but dating them is difficult due to a lack of fossils.
Read more »