Archaeology and Anthropology Links

While human remains sparse, Paleo-Americans did leave a lot of objects or artifacts

American or Columbian elephant, mammoth, mastodon, ancient bison that was 2 to 4 times bigger than modern buffalo, ground sloth; roasted meat in great kitchens or middens in limestone

Texas sites include Lubbock Lake Landmark site; Roberts County in Northeast Panhandle (Canadian River area), Gault Site in Central Texas, Denton County, Lewisville, and East Texas

Clovis Point was fluted, projectile point for light spear

All radiocarbon dates associated with Clovis points fall in a range from about 9500-9000 BCE. It follows that if early migrants into the Americas came before that, they probably were not "big game hunters" but foraged less dramatically. Probable dates for the first crossing into North America by ancestors of later known populations range from about 45,000 to 13,000 BCE or so.

Found near Folsom, New Mexico; also in Texas including Hueco Tanks near El Paso where humans have lived for at least 10,000 years, Colorado, Nebraska, and other plains areas

Smaller, finer points; skillful stoneworkers; made scrapers, knives, choppers, drills, used pallets of sandstone for paint, stone heads found at Trinity River site; also made flutes and drums

Also believed that Folsom peoples responsible for oldest "Bison Jump" found at Bonfire Shelter site between Rio Grande and Pecos River at their confluence in extreme South Texas dated to 10,200 years ago

Also a subculture known as Plano Subculture from Wyoming to Minnesota to Texas - Levi, Texas, site = distinguished by leaf-shaped point

A. Development of bow and arrow (in Texas appears to have replaced spear thrower (atlatl) around 700 CE/AD

B. Development of pottery and grinding implements

C. Development of agriculture before 2500 BCE - believed to have developed in Mexico and moved northward

D. 1500 BCE, corn farmers settled near Presidio in area known as La Junta de los Rios where Rio Grande and Rio Conchose join - believed to be the oldest continuously cultivated farmland in Texas

E. Cochise people of southern New Mexico - also early farmers of southwest

F. Also artistic development - Rock Art - sites represent before and after archaic developments; located throughout Southwest - include PICTOGRAPHS and PETROGLYPHS - show extended period of time, refining of style (Pecos River style about 2000-1000 BCE)

Several distinctive styles in Texas:
Archaic age - several colors, stylized figures and humans
Red Linear of Late Archaic - small dark red, humans as stick figures
Red monochrome of Late Prehistoric - solid human and animal figures
Historic - show European influence
Hueco Tanks near El Paso - completely different culture - Puebloan influences

250 known Rock Art sites in Texas alone, usually on rock walls

range in size form one to 18 feet in height

Some in places that could not be reached without scaffoling of some sort

Black and red most common colors but also white, yellow, orange, brown

Subjects: people, animals, weather, trees, weapons, geometric shapes, historic era Europeans

Purpose unknown although some appear to have religious significance

Include maps, dancing, stories, humorous scenes