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Palaeoindian artefact distributions: evidence and implications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

David G. Anderson  and
Michael K. Faught
David G. Anderson
Affiliation:
Southeast Archeological Center, National Park Service, 2035 East Paul Dirac Drive, Box 7, Tallahassee FL 32310, USA. David_Anderson@nps.gov
Michael K. Faught
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology (G-24 Bellamy), Florida State University, Tallahassee FL 32306, USA. mfaught@mailer.fsu.edu
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Extract

The distribution of projectile points over broad geographic areas yields important insights about Palaeoindian settlement pattern and history. While traditionally viewed as a Great Plains adaptation, the data show that fluted points are far more common in Eastern North America. These artefacts are not evenly spread across the landscape, furthermore, but occur in distinct concentrations. Within some of these areas distinct cultural traditions quickly emerged, something that appears tied to the sudden onset of the Younger Dryas.

Keywords

Palaeoindianfluted pointsEastern North AmericaYounger Dryasarchaeological databases
Type
News & notes
Information
Antiquity , Volume 74 , Issue 285 , September 2000 , pp. 507 - 513
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2000

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