Clovis

E786274

Clovis is a prehistoric Native American culture known for its distinctive fluted stone spear points and for representing some of the earliest widely accepted human inhabitants of North America.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Clovis culture 0

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Paleoindian culture
prehistoric culture
approximateEnd circa 12,800 years ago
approximateStart circa 13,500 years ago
archaeologicalDebate role in Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions
archaeologicalSignificance defines early Paleoindian period in North America
associatedFauna Pleistocene bison
mammoth
mastodon
associatedWith Pleistocene megafauna
big-game hunting
chronologicalPosition among earliest widely accepted human cultures in North America
continent North America
culturalCategory Native American prehistory
culturalPhase early Paleoindian
currentView not necessarily the earliest human presence in the Americas
datingMethod radiocarbon dating
debatedClaim once thought to represent first human inhabitants of the Americas
discoveredBy North American archaeologists in early 20th century
evidenceType butchering sites
kill sites
lithic artifacts
geographicDistribution American Southwest NERFINISHED
Eastern North America NERFINISHED
North American Great Plains NERFINISHED
parts of Mexico
knownFor distinctive fluted stone spear points
early widespread human presence in North America
languageOfName English NERFINISHED
mobilityPattern high residential mobility
namedAfter Clovis, New Mexico NERFINISHED
pointCharacteristic central flute removed from base toward tip
concave base
side and basal grinding
region Canada NERFINISHED
United States of America
surface form: United States

northern Mexico NERFINISHED
researchTopic peopling of the Americas
subsistenceStrategy mobile hunter-gatherers
successorCulture Folsom culture NERFINISHED
timePeriod Late Pleistocene
toolMaterial high-quality cryptocrystalline stone
toolTechnology bifacial flaking
toolType fluted projectile points
stone spear points
typeSite Blackwater Draw site NERFINISHED
typeSiteLocation near Clovis, New Mexico

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.