Pre-Clovis mastodon hunting 13,800 years ago at the Manis site, Washington

Michael R. Waters, Thomas Stafford jr., H. Gregory McDonald, Carl Gustafson, Morten Rasmussen, Enrico Cappellini, Jesper Velgaard Olsen, Damian Milosz Szklarczyk, Lars Juhl Jensen, Tom Gilbert, Eske Willerslev

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

163 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The tip of a projectile point made of mastodon bone is embedded in a rib of a single disarticulated mastodon at the Manis site in the state of Washington. Radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis show that the rib is associated with the other remains and dates to 13,800 years ago. Thus, osseous projectile points, common to the Beringian Upper Paleolithic and Clovis, were made and used during pre-Clovis times in North America. The Manis site, combined with evidence of mammoth hunting at sites in Wisconsin, provides evidence that people were hunting proboscideans at least two millennia before Clovis.
Original languageEnglish
JournalScience
Volume334
Issue number6054
Pages (from-to)351-353
Number of pages3
ISSN0036-8075
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011

Keywords

  • Animals
  • Archaeology
  • Bone and Bones
  • Geologic Sediments
  • History, Ancient
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mastodons
  • Radiometric Dating
  • Time
  • Washington
  • Weapons

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