Archaeological Dig Near Austin Unearths Ancient Weapons

By Morgan Montalvo

WOAI News 

Researchers  have uncovered what are being hailed as examples of the oldest-known  weapons in North America, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports. 

The  find consists of several long, narrow spear tips found in prehistoric  sediment layers at a private property site about 40 miles northwest of  Austin, says Professor Michael Waters, a Texas A&M University  anthropologist and head of the field team from his institution, the  University of Texas and Baylor University that made the discovery. 

“The  oldest recognizable projectile point that we had up until this time was  the ‘Clovis’ projectile point, which dates to roughly 13,000 years  ago,” Water says. 

“Clovis  points” are hand tools fashioned by early inhabitants of the Americas  and for decades considered the earliest known artifacts of their type in  the region. They are named for Clovis, N.M., the town near where they  were first unearthed in 1929 and since have been found as far south as  Venezuela. 

“Now,  what this does is, it adds a new style of projectile point, these kind  of lancet stem points that we found,”  

Waters says about the three- to  four-inch long weapons, dated to about 15,500 years ago. 

Anthropologists  and archaeologist have been working the site for about 12 years. 

The  discovery, they say, answers some questions, but also raises new ones  about ancient peoples who settled North America after the last Ice Age.

PHOTO COURTESY: TEXAS A&M TODAY.  USED BY PERMISSION.


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