Fishtail projectile point

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Variety of Fishtail projectile points (both whole and fragments) found in Argentina and Chile Puntas Cola de Pescado 2.jpg
Variety of Fishtail projectile points (both whole and fragments) found in Argentina and Chile

Fishtail points, also known as Fell points are a style of Paleoindian projectile point widespread across much of South America at the end of the Late Pleistocene, around 13-12,000 years ago. [1] They are thought to have been multifunctional, serving as cutting tools, as well as hafted to spears to use as hunting weapons, possibly in combination with spear throwers.

Contents

Chronology and origin

Their chronological timing is disputed, with some authors favouring a short chronology spanning 12,800–12,200 years Before Present (BP), while others favouring a long chronology spanning 13,500–10,200 years BP. [2] It is the earliest widespread lithic style in South America, [3] being contemporaneous in its earlier stages to the use of Clovis points in North America. [1] Fishtail points may be derived from Clovis points, [4] [5] or possibly from Fishtail-like points found on the Gulf Coast of North America and in Central America. [6]

Description, use and association with other tools

The name "Fishtail point" derives from their fish-like shape, with broad shoulders, indented stems and flared bases, while the name "Fell point" originally given by Junius Bird derives from Cueva Fell (Fell's Cave) in southern Patagonia, where the first points were found. [7] They are typically bifacially thinned, though some unifacial Fishtail points are known. [8] The points were manufactured from blanks with a combination of percussive flaking and pressure flaking. [7] In comparison to Clovis points, Fishtail points are often but not always fluted (having a long flake running along the length of the point removed, leaving a groove at the base). [9] [1]

In Uruguay, Fishtail points were most often manufactured from silcrete (54%), with other source rocks including chert (10%) jasper (9%) quartzite (7%) opal (7%) and quartz (5%), [10] while in the Tandilia Range of the Argentine Pampas, local quartzite was preferred (>75%). [11]

Fishtail points varied significantly in size and form, and many were likely hafted to spears, [2] [5] which were possibly used in combination with spear throwers, [3] though some are suggested to have served other purposes, like as knives or as cutting tools, and the same point may have been used for multiple functions. [5] [12] Following being damaged, the points were often later recycled into burins or cutting tools, or less often scrapers or other lithic types, sometimes in combination on the same artefact. [13] Other lithic tools utilized by Fishtail producing peoples include blades. [14]

Distribution

Fishtail points have the highest find frequency in the open regions of the Pampas and Patagonia, but are also found with some frequency in the Andes, extending as far north as Ecuador. [1] While Brazilian finds are most common in Southern Brazil, some finds are also known from central, northern and northeastern Brazil, including in the states of Mato Grosso, Goiás, Amazonas and Bahia. [15] Finds in Patagonia extend to the farthest south of the region, including Tierra del Fuego. [10]

Like the Clovis culture, the people who produced Fishtail points were willing to transport rocks and stone tools hundreds of kilometers away from the original outcrop, in one case 482 kilometres (300 mi), [10] which may have been the result of exchanges between different groups. [16]

Lifestyle

The people who produced Fishtail points are suggested to have been highly-mobile hunter-gatherers. [12] Fishtail points are suggested to have been utilized for big-game hunting of megafaunal mammals [3] and the peak abundance of the points coincides with the proposed extinction interval for most large mammals in South America as part of the Late Pleistocene megafauna extinctions, suggesting that the hunting may have had a causal role in the extinctions. Fishtail points disappeared following the extinction of the megafauna, and were replaced by projectile point styles better suited for hunting smaller prey. [1]

Association with extinct megafauna

Direct association between Fishtail points and extinct megafauna are rare, [3] though such an association is preserved at several sites. These include Piedra Museo in Santa Cruz Province in Southern Argentina and in Cueva del Medio in southern Chile, where Fishtail points were found in association with the extinct equine Hippidion saldiasi, some of which show cut marks indicative of butchery. Evidence of hunting of members of the living llama genus Lama was also found at both sites. At both sites the extinct large ground sloth Mylodon was also found. [17] [18] While there is no clear evidence for its consumption at Cueva del Medio, [17] cut marks were found on a mylodont rib at Piedra Museo. [19] At the Paso Otero 5 site in the Pampas of northeast Argentina, Fishtail points are associated with burned bones of the elephant-sized giant ground sloths Megatherium americanum and Lestodon the smaller ground sloths Scelidotherium, Glossotherium and Mylodon, the glyptodont Glyptodon , the equine Equus neogeus , the rhinoceros-like ungulate Toxodon , the camel-like ungulate Macrauchenia, and the extinct llama Hemiauchenia . The bones appear to have been deliberately burned as a source of fuel. Due to the poor preservation of the bones there is no clear evidence of human modification, with the possible exception of a fracture on a Hemiauchenia tibia, [20] though it has been argued that the animals present at the site had probably been consumed prior to burning, whether procured by hunting or scavenging. [21]

Related Research Articles

<i>Megatherium</i> Genus of extinct ground sloth

Megatherium is an extinct genus of ground sloths endemic to South America that lived from the Early Pliocene through the end of the Late Pleistocene. It is best known for the elephant-sized type species Megatherium americanum, primarily known from the Pampas, but ranging southwards to northernmost Patagonia and northwards to southern Bolivia during the late Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene. Various other species belonging to the subgenus Pseudomegatherium ranging in size comparable to considerably smaller than M. americanum are known from the Andean region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clovis point</span> New World prehistoric projectile

Clovis points are the characteristically fluted projectile points associated with the New World Clovis culture, a prehistoric Paleo-American culture. They are present in dense concentrations across much of North America and they are largely restricted to the north of South America. There are slight differences in points found in the Eastern United States bringing them to sometimes be called "Clovis-like". Clovis points date to the Early Paleoindian period, with all known points dating from roughly 13,400–12,700 years ago. As an example, Clovis remains at the Murry Springs Site date to around 12,900 calendar years ago. Clovis fluted points are named after the city of Clovis, New Mexico, where examples were first found in 1929 by Ridgely Whiteman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clovis culture</span> Prehistoric culture in the Americas c. 11,100–10,800 BCE

The Clovis culture is an archaeological culture from the Paleoindian period of North America, spanning around 13,050 to 12,750 years Before Present (BP). The type site is Blackwater Draw locality No. 1 near Clovis, New Mexico, where stone tools were found alongside the remains of Columbian mammoths in 1929. Clovis sites have been found across North America. The most distinctive part of the Clovis culture toolkit are Clovis points, which are projectile points with a fluted, lanceolate shape. Clovis points are typically large, sometimes exceeding 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in length. These points were multifunctional, also serving as cutting tools. Other stone tools used by the Clovis culture include knives, scrapers, and bifacial tools, with bone tools including beveled rods and shaft wrenches, with possible ivory points also being identified. Hides, wood, and natural fibers may also have been utilized, though no direct evidence of this has been preserved. Clovis artifacts are often found grouped together in caches where they had been stored for later retrieval, and over 20 Clovis caches have been identified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paleo-Indians</span> Classification term given to the first peoples who entered the American continents

Paleo-Indians were the first peoples who entered and subsequently inhabited the Americas towards the end of the Late Pleistocene period. The prefix paleo- comes from the Ancient Greek adjective: παλαιός, romanized: palaiós, lit. 'old; ancient'. The term Paleo-Indians applies specifically to the lithic period in the Western Hemisphere and is distinct from the term Paleolithic.

<i>Toxodon</i> Extinct genus of notoungulates

Toxodon is an extinct genus of large ungulate native to South America from the Pliocene to the end of the Late Pleistocene. Toxodon is a member of Notoungulata, an order of extinct South American native ungulates distinct from the two living ungulate orders that had been indigenous to the continent for over 60 million years since the early Cenozoic, prior to the arrival of living ungulates into South America around 2.5 million years ago during the Great American Interchange. Toxodon is a member of the family Toxodontidae, which includes medium to large sized herbivores. Toxodon was one of the largest members of Toxodontidae and Notoungulata, with Toxodon platensis having an estimated body mass of 1,000–1,200 kilograms (2,200–2,600 lb).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Late Pleistocene</span> Third division (unofficial) of the Pleistocene Epoch

The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as the Upper Pleistocene from a stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division of the Pleistocene Epoch within the ongoing Quaternary Period. It is currently defined as the time between c. 129,000 and c. 11,700 years ago. The late Pleistocene equates to the proposed Tarantian Age of the geologic time scale, preceded by the officially ratified Chibanian. The beginning of the Late Pleistocene is the transition between the end of the Penultimate Glacial Period and the beginning of the Last Interglacial around 130,000 years ago. The Late Pleistocene ends with the termination of the Younger Dryas, some 11,700 years ago when the Holocene Epoch began.

<i>Macrauchenia</i> Extinct genus of camel-like ungulate

Macrauchenia is an extinct genus of large ungulate native to South America from the Pliocene or Middle Pleistocene to the end of the Late Pleistocene. It is a member of the extinct order Litopterna, a group of South American native ungulates distinct from the two orders which contain all living ungulates which had been present in South America since the early Cenozoic, over 60 million years ago, prior to the arrival of living ungulates in South America around 2.5 million years ago as part of the Great American Interchange. The bodyform of Macrauchenia has been described as similar to a camel, being one of the largest-known litopterns, with an estimated body mass of around 1 tonne. The genus gives its name to its family, Macraucheniidae, which like Macrauchenia typically had long necks and three-toed feet, as well as a retracted nasal region, which in Macrauchenia manifests as the nasal opening being on the top of the skull between the eye sockets. This has historically been argued to correspond to the presence of a tapir-like proboscis, though recent authors suggest a moose-like prehensile lip or a saiga antelope-like nose to filter dust are more likely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solutrean hypothesis</span> Hypothesis for ancient human migrations to the Americas

The Solutrean hypothesis on the peopling of the Americas is the claim that the earliest human migration to the Americas began from Europe during the Solutrean Period, with Europeans traveling along pack ice in the Atlantic Ocean. This hypothesis contrasts with the mainstream academic narrative that the Americas were populated first by people crossing the Bering Strait to Alaska by foot on what was land during the Last Glacial Period or by following the Pacific coastline from Asia to America by boat.

<i>Hippidion</i> Extinct genus of mammals

Hippidion is an extinct genus of equine that lived in South America from the Late Pliocene to the end of the Late Pleistocene (Lujanian), between 2.5 million and 11,000 years ago. They were one of two lineages of equines native to South America during the Pleistocene epoch, alongside Equus (Amerhippus) neogeus.

<i>Lestodon</i> Extinct genus of ground sloths

Lestodon is an extinct genus of giant ground sloth native to South America during the Pleistocene epoch. Its fossil remains have been primarily been found in the Pampas and adjacent regions. The largest member of the family Mylodontidae, It is estimated to have weighed 4,100 kilograms. It was a herbivore and primarily fed on the grasses and low-growing plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Late Pleistocene extinctions</span> Extinctions of large mammals in the Late Pleistocene

The Late Pleistocene to the beginning of the Holocene saw the extinction of the majority of the world's megafauna, which resulted in a collapse in faunal density and diversity across the globe. The extinctions during the Late Pleistocene are differentiated from previous extinctions by its extreme size bias towards large animals, and widespread absence of ecological succession to replace these extinct megafaunal species, and the regime shift of previously established faunal relationships and habitats as a consequence. The timing and severity of the extinctions varied by region and are thought to have been driven by varying combinations of human and climatic factors. Human impact on megafauna populations is thought to have been driven by hunting ("overkill"), as well as possibly environmental alteration. The relative importance of human vs climatic factors in the extinctions has been the subject of long-running controversy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cueva Fell</span> Cave and archaeological site in Patagonia

Cueva Fell or Fell'sCave is a natural cave and archaeological site in southern Patagonia. Cueva Fell is in proximity to the Pali Aike Crater, another significant archaeological site. Cueva Fell combined with the nearby Pali Aike site have been submitted to UNESCO as a possible World Heritage Site.

Piedra Museo is an archaeological site in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, and one of the earliest known archaeological remains in the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huaca Prieta</span> Archaeological site in Peru

Huaca Prieta is the site of a prehistoric settlement beside the Pacific Ocean in the Chicama Valley, just north of Trujillo, La Libertad Province, Peru. It is a part of the El Brujo Archaeological Complex, which also includes Moche (culture) sites.

A Barnes point is a type of projectile point dating from the Paleo-Indian period of American archaeology. It is a large, fluted spear point, lanceolate in shape, with "delicate ears" and a fishtail base. The fluting, or groove in the center of the point, tends to extend nearly the entire length of the point and were mainly used to hunt megafauna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gault (archaeological site)</span> Pre-Clovis archaeological site in Texas

The Gault archaeological site is an extensive, multicomponent site located in Florence, Texas, United States on the Williamson-Bell County line along Buttermilk Creek about 250 meters upstream from the Buttermilk Creek complex. It bears evidence of human habitation for at least 20,000 years, making it one of the few archaeological sites in the Americas at which compelling evidence has been found for human occupation dating to before the appearance of the Clovis culture. Archaeological material covers about 16 hectares with a depth of up to 3 meters in places. About 30 incised stones from the Clovis period engraved with geometric patterns were found there as well as others from periods up to the Early Archaic. Incised bone was also found.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peopling of the Americas</span> Prehistoric migration from Asia to the Americas

The peopling of the Americas began when Paleolithic hunter-gatherers (Paleo-Indians) entered North America from the North Asian Mammoth steppe via the Beringia land bridge, which had formed between northeastern Siberia and western Alaska due to the lowering of sea level during the Last Glacial Maximum. These populations expanded south of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and spread rapidly southward, occupying both North and South America by 12,000 to 14,000 years ago. The earliest populations in the Americas, before roughly 10,000 years ago, are known as Paleo-Indians. Indigenous peoples of the Americas have been linked to Siberian populations by proposed linguistic factors, the distribution of blood types, and in genetic composition as reflected by molecular data, such as DNA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquihuecó</span> Archaeological site in Argentina

Aquihuecó is an archaeological site in Argentina. It is located by the city of Chos Mahal in the Neuquén province of Argentina. Aquihuecó is the biggest hunter-gatherer burial site in Patagonia. The site is located on top of a mound in a dune and was utilized as an open-air burial site by prehistoric inhabitants of the land. Archaeologists have excavated at least 65 human inhumations at the area. These burials were marked with either large stones or piles of small stones. Many of the graves contained burial goods such as stone pendants, grinding tools, sharp instruments, projectile points, milling tools, lithic spheres, and beads, necklaces, or earrings made from mollusc shells. Some of the skulls found at the site display a circular or pseudocircular body modification of the cranial vault. The site is dated to have been inhabited from around 5000 to around 3000 years before present. Aquihuecó was first discovered in 1997 and began excavation in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Stemmed Tradition</span> Archaeological culture known from the Late Pleistocene -early Holocene of Western North America

The Western Stemmed Tradition (WST) is a Paleoindian archaeological culture known from the Intermountain West of North America, particularly the Great Basin and the Columbian Plateau, spanning from over 13,000 years Before Present to around 8,500 years Before Present. Unlike Clovis and related traditions, the stone projectile points produced by the Western Stemmed Tradition are unfluted. Other types of tool produced by WST peoples include stone crescents. The Western Stemmed Tradition has a wide variability in tool morphology, and is divided up into a number of chronologically separated subtypes, including Haskett, Cougar Mountain, Lind Coulee Parman Silver Lake and Windust. Some of the oldest sites of the tradition are at Cooper's Ferry in Idaho and Paisley Cave in Oregon, dating to the Bølling–Allerød Interstadial, as early as 13,500 BP at Cooper’s Ferry. Pre-Clovis stemmed points are also known from the Debra L. Friedkin and Gault sites in Texas, perhaps dating as early as 14,500 BP, though these are outside the core distribution area of the WST.

References

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