overshot flaking manufacturer

This study utilizes data from the Gault site (41BL323) to address intentionality in Clovis overshot Clovis; overshot; Paleoindian;

For those of you not familiar with the Ice-Age Atlantic crossing hypothesis, basically the idea is that during the Last Glacial Maximum (at approx. 26.500-19.000 years ago) glacial ice build up in the north Atlantic allowed European populations to cross over to North America and to colonize this virgin territory. The archaeological “cultures” typically cited in relationship to this hypothesis are Clovis in North America and the Solutrean in Western Europe. In particular, apparent similarities in the manufacture of bifacial tools between these two archaeological entities, and their reported use of overshot flaking (flakes that travel across the face of a tool to remove part of the opposing margin) to thin bifaces, have been frequently used to argue for their being a connection between Western Europe and the first peopling of the Americas. A basic introduction to the debate can be found here

In recent years considerable genetic, archaeological and paleoanthropological evidence has accrued suggesting that the first human societies in North America came from Asia, not Europe. Never the less, this debate still continues in the academic arena and 2013/2014 has thus far been a particularly productive period for publications on the topic utilizing experimental research to discuss the merits of the Ice-Age Atlantic crossing hypothesis. Three recent publications are of particular interest for those interested in the role that experimental archaeology can play in major debates such as this. The first of these contains experimental data designed to test the effectiveness of overshot flaking in thinning bifaces:

Eren et al’s results suggest that overshot flakes are by products of a general biface thinning technique and in and of themselves are not very reliable or optimal at thinning bifaces. This conclusion seems to suggest that Solutrean and Clovis bifaces were produced using similar, simple, biface thinning techniques that resulted in occasional, accidental, overshot flakes. The article also contains a discussion of the existing archaeological evidence for overshot flaking in Clovis assemblages, not much, and the lack of comparable data in Solutrean assemblages.

Lohse, J.C., Collins, M.B., Bradley, B., 2014. Controlled overshot flaking: a response to Eren, Patten, O’Brien, and Meltzer. Lithic Technology 39, 46-54.

Eren, M.I., Patten, R.J., O’Brien, M.J., Meltzer, D.J., 2014. More on the rumour of “intentional overshot flaking” and the purported Ice-Age Atlantic crossing. Lithic Technology 39, 55-63.

This is an illustration of a replica point that shows a lot of the flaking details you can expect to see on Clovis points. Note the colors, which will guide the following discussion.

People used early-stage bifaces as cores for striking the large flakes that would become points and tools. Overshot flakes travel all the way across bifaces and remove some of the margin on the opposite side of the biface. This is a common thinning strategy in Clovis.

The purple flakes are pressure flakes from the final finishing workon the point. Some points show very little pressure flaking, and others show much more extensive pressure flaking.

It appears that Clovis points often started out mostly percussion flaked. Through use and reshaping, they came to have have more extensive pressure flaking across their surfaces. Clovis knappers took care to preserve the flute scars, and did not pressure flake across them if they could help it.

Join the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory and the Prehistory Research Project this fall to learn all about Clovis Technology. Originally associated with the earliest peoples in North America, continued research has shown that Clovis technology is a younger cultural manifestation. Despite this, it remains unique in the Americas for its geographic range and technology. Researchers from the Prehistory Research Project will present on various topics including the history of Clovis research, overshot production, regional variability, experimental reproduction, and blade technology.

Overshot flakes and scars have long been considered diagnostic of Clovis biface technology even though there were few data to support the argument. Recent debates in Clovis biface technology raised issue against assumptions countering Clovis’ use of overshot flaking was unintentional. Traditional research approach to Clovis technology often focused on finished bifaces or projectile points, and thus only provided a myopic view of the manufacturing process.  An unusual love for waste flakes inspired a very different approach through reverse engineering to address several issues, specifically the overshot flaking problem.  The Gault Site — a quarry/campsite – was the ideal case study to conduct research on Clovis biface production where hundreds of thousands of manufacturing waste flakes and nearly 500 overshot flakes were recovered from Clovis contexts.  This presentation will discuss cracking the Clovis technology code and overshot flakes and reveal unexpected behavior patterns.  These unusual flakes served a dual-purpose during reduction phases, but an even bigger surprise was discovering evidence that Clovis knappers intentionally used overshot flaking as part of their technological repertoire.