Cited by 115Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologyArchaeology and ancient environmental studiesGeology and Paleoclimatology Research

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Pre-Clovis projectile points at the Debra L. Friedkin site, Texas—Implications for the Late Pleistocene peopling of the Americas

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Abstract

Stemmed projectile points are ~13,500 to ~15,500 years old and lie stratigraphically below ~13,000-year-old Clovis artifacts., Lanceolate projectile points of the Clovis complex and stemmed projectile points of the Western Stemmed Tradition first appeared in North America by ~13 thousand years (ka) ago. The origin, age, and chronological superposition of these stemmed and lanceolate traditions are unclear. At the Debra L. Friedkin site, Texas, below Folsom and Clovis horizons, we find stemmed projectile points dating from ~13.5 to ~15.5 ka ago, with a triangular lanceolate point form appearing ~14 ka ago. The sequential relationship of stemmed projectile points followed by lanceolate forms suggests that lanceolate points are derived from stemmed forms or that they originated from two separate migrations into the Americas.

Overview

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Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

At the Debra L. Friedkin site, Texas, 12 complete and fragmentary stemmed and triangular lanceolate projectile points from the Buttermilk Creek Complex are dated by 19 OSL ages to ~13.5–15.5 ka, stratigraphically below Folsom-Clovis. The authors argue these pre-Clovis points support an early stemmed-point tradition and present two models for the Late Pleistocene peopling of the Americas, including possible in situ development of Clovis or a separate later migration.

Key findings

  • The Buttermilk Creek Complex horizon yielded ~100,000 artifacts, including 328 tools and 12 complete and fragmentary projectile points, dated to ~13.5–15.5 ka by 19 OSL ages and lying 15–20 cm below the Folsom-Clovis zone.
  • The projectile point assemblage includes lanceolate stemmed forms and a triangular lanceolate form; lanceolate stemmed points are confined exclusively to the Buttermilk Creek Complex horizon and are absent from post–13-thousand-year-old sediments.
  • Across the Late Prehistoric to Clovis horizons, 130 time-diagnostic artifacts form four mutually exclusive chronological zones, with no in situ diagnostics from one zone found in overlying or underlying zones; the authors use this to argue against downward artifact movement and for stratigraphic integrity.
  • OSL ages overlap known ages for later diagnostics: the Clovis point base is bracketed by 12,500 ± 480 and 12,950 ± 480 yr B.P.; the Folsom-Clovis zone ranges from 11,980 ± 490 to 13,590 ± 720 yr B.P.; Late Paleoindian ages range from 9,590 ± 370 to 11,980 ± 555 yr B.P.; Middle/Early Archaic ages range from 7,295 ± 315 to 9,000 ± 375 yr B.P.

Methods

  • Excavated 104 m² of Block A at the Debra L. Friedkin site (41BL1239) in 2006–2009 and 2015–2016 using 1 m by 1 m units, generally 5- and 2.5-cm levels, with artifacts mapped in Paleoindian levels and sediments screened through 6.35-mm and 3.175-mm mesh.
  • OSL dating targeted the 4- to 11-μm quartz fraction from clay-rich distal overbank sediments; 70 OSL ages were obtained from Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene sediments, including 38 previously published and 32 new ages, using single aliquot regeneration protocols.
  • Bayesian models in OxCal using a Poisson deposition model were created for four OSL columns to identify outliers and compute posterior age estimates; artifact analysis included time-diagnostic projectile points, use-wear, and biface technology comparisons.

Limitations

  • The paper states that radiocarbon dating was not used because no carbon samples would yield reliable ages: in situ charcoal is not preserved, all bones are leached of collagen, and bulk sediment organics were avoided as usually inaccurate.
  • The paper states that some projectile point types are poorly dated, that two OSL ages appear too young for Angostura, and that older point types can be found in younger contexts because prehistoric people sometimes picked up older points; it also notes a few Late Prehistoric/Archaic points are out of chronological order due to repeated use of cooking features.
  • Evident from the text: OSL ages carry large uncertainties (e.g., ±360 to ±880 years), and several point fragments occur 2.4 to 5.3 m from the nearest OSL column, so their ages rely on stratigraphic correlation; the paper also states that more excavations of buried and datable Late Pleistocene sites are needed to test the proposed models.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1126/sciadv.aat4505

Cites

40 of 40 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

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Figures

Fig. 1 Block A at the Debra L. Friedkin site. (A) Map showing the location of the Debra L. Friedkin site along Buttermilk Creek. The geomorphic setting of the site is shown along with the location of the excavated areas. The red-colored area is Block A. The location of the four optically stimulated luminescence (OSL)–dated columns is indicated. Solid squares and rectangles indicate the location of trenches and excavation units. T-1, Terrace 1; T-2, Terrace 2. The inset map shows the location of the Friedkin site in Texas. (B) Map of Block A excavation area and the year each area was excavated. OSL sample locations are shown. Geological sections A-A′, B-B′, and C-C′ are indicated with dashed lines and correlate with Figs. 2 and 3. Modern topographic contours are shown with elevations in meters above datum (m AD). (C) Photograph of the floodplain sediments (north wall of excavation unit N1312 E1362). Late Archaic hearth feature occurs near the top of the section, and the complete lanceolate stemmed point (AM9875-2) dating ~15 ka ago is seen in the excavation unit at the base of the wall profile. Photo Credit: Michael Waters, Texas A&M University.
Fig. 1 Block A at the Debra L. Friedkin site. (A) Map showing the location of the Debra L. Friedkin site along Buttermilk Creek. The geomorphic setting of the site is shown along with the location of the excavated areas. The red-colored area is Block A. The location of the four optically stimulated luminescence (OSL)–dated columns is indicated. Solid squares and rectangles indicate the location of trenches and excavation units. T-1, Terrace 1; T-2, Terrace 2. The inset map shows the location of the Friedkin site in Texas. (B) Map of Block A excavation area and the year each area was excavated. OSL sample locations are shown. Geological sections A-A′, B-B′, and C-C′ are indicated with dashed lines and correlate with Figs. 2 and 3. Modern topographic contours are shown with elevations in meters above datum (m AD). (C) Photograph of the floodplain sediments (north wall of excavation unit N1312 E1362). Late Archaic hearth feature occurs near the top of the section, and the complete lanceolate stemmed point (AM9875-2) dating ~15 ka ago is seen in the excavation unit at the base of the wall profile. Photo Credit: Michael Waters, Texas A&M University.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Fig. 2 Cross section A-A′ showing the site stratigraphy, location of time-diagnostic artifacts, and Bayesian-modeled OSL ages. Archaeological time periods are as follows: Late Prehistoric/Late Archaic (LP/LA), Middle Archaic/Early Archaic (MA/EA), Late Paleoindian (LP), Folsom/Clovis, and Buttermilk Creek Complex (BCC). Some Late Prehistoric and Late Archaic artifacts appear above the profile because there are places where the ground surface is higher than the contour line along the A-A′ profile (see Fig. 1B for the location of this cross section). OSL ages from 2008 and 2015 are shown. The location of each pre-Clovis projectile point is identified, and the artifact number beginning with the designation AM allows identification of specific artifacts. This profile includes all artifacts 3.5 m west and east of the A-A′ line from 91.15 m AD to the surface because of the surface slope. All artifacts 5.5 m west and east of the A-A′ line between 90.5 and 91.5 m AD are shown because the deposits are horizontal. All artifacts 3.5 m west and east of the A-A′ line below 90.5 m AD are shown because the deposits slope to the east.
Fig. 2 Cross section A-A′ showing the site stratigraphy, location of time-diagnostic artifacts, and Bayesian-modeled OSL ages. Archaeological time periods are as follows: Late Prehistoric/Late Archaic (LP/LA), Middle Archaic/Early Archaic (MA/EA), Late Paleoindian (LP), Folsom/Clovis, and Buttermilk Creek Complex (BCC). Some Late Prehistoric and Late Archaic artifacts appear above the profile because there are places where the ground surface is higher than the contour line along the A-A′ profile (see Fig. 1B for the location of this cross section). OSL ages from 2008 and 2015 are shown. The location of each pre-Clovis projectile point is identified, and the artifact number beginning with the designation AM allows identification of specific artifacts. This profile includes all artifacts 3.5 m west and east of the A-A′ line from 91.15 m AD to the surface because of the surface slope. All artifacts 5.5 m west and east of the A-A′ line between 90.5 and 91.5 m AD are shown because the deposits are horizontal. All artifacts 3.5 m west and east of the A-A′ line below 90.5 m AD are shown because the deposits slope to the east.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Fig. 3 Cross sections B-B′ and C-C′ showing the site stratigraphy, location of time-diagnostic artifacts, and Bayesian-modeled OSL ages. Archaeological time periods are as follows: Late Prehistoric/Late Archaic (LP/LA), Middle Archaic/Early Archaic (MA/EA), Late Paleoindian (LP), Folsom/Clovis, and Buttermilk Creek Complex (BCC). Some Late Prehistoric and Late Archaic artifacts appear above the C-C′ profile because there are places where the ground surface is higher than the contour line along this transect (see Fig. 1B for the location of these cross sections). The location of each pre-Clovis projectile point is identified, and the artifact number beginning with the designation AM allows identification of specific artifacts. The B-B′ profile includes all OSL ages and artifacts from the areas excavated in 2015 and 2016. The C-C′ profile includes all OSL ages and artifacts from the areas excavated in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011.
Fig. 3 Cross sections B-B′ and C-C′ showing the site stratigraphy, location of time-diagnostic artifacts, and Bayesian-modeled OSL ages. Archaeological time periods are as follows: Late Prehistoric/Late Archaic (LP/LA), Middle Archaic/Early Archaic (MA/EA), Late Paleoindian (LP), Folsom/Clovis, and Buttermilk Creek Complex (BCC). Some Late Prehistoric and Late Archaic artifacts appear above the C-C′ profile because there are places where the ground surface is higher than the contour line along this transect (see Fig. 1B for the location of these cross sections). The location of each pre-Clovis projectile point is identified, and the artifact number beginning with the designation AM allows identification of specific artifacts. The B-B′ profile includes all OSL ages and artifacts from the areas excavated in 2015 and 2016. The C-C′ profile includes all OSL ages and artifacts from the areas excavated in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Fig. 4 Lithic artifact counts by depth and maps of diagnostic artifacts for Block A. (A) Total artifacts from 52 units with comparable data for all horizons excavated between 2009 and 2016, including all tools and debitage >0.625 cm in size, by 5-cm levels for the Late Archaic (LA), Middle/Early Archaic (MA/EA), Late Paleoindian (LP), Folsom/Clovis (F/C), and Buttermilk Creek Complex (BCC) horizons. (B) Total formal and informal tools from 52 units with comparable data for all horizons excavated from 2009 to 2016 (>0.625 cm in size) by 5-cm levels. (C) Counts of formal and informal tools from all 104 units from 2006 to 2016 (>0.625 cm in size for only the LP, F/C, and BCC layers) at 2.5-cm levels. Occurrence of artifacts below 90.15 m AD is accounted for by the slope of the BCC artifact–bearing deposits. (D) Counts of formal and informal tools from 2015 to 2016 excavations >0.625 cm in size for the LP, F/C, and BCC layers west of E1363. (E) Counts of formal and informal tools from 2015 to 2016 excavations >0.625 cm in size for the LP, F/C, and BCC layers east of E1363. (F) Horizontal distribution of diagnostic artifacts by archaeological component for Block A.
Fig. 4 Lithic artifact counts by depth and maps of diagnostic artifacts for Block A. (A) Total artifacts from 52 units with comparable data for all horizons excavated between 2009 and 2016, including all tools and debitage >0.625 cm in size, by 5-cm levels for the Late Archaic (LA), Middle/Early Archaic (MA/EA), Late Paleoindian (LP), Folsom/Clovis (F/C), and Buttermilk Creek Complex (BCC) horizons. (B) Total formal and informal tools from 52 units with comparable data for all horizons excavated from 2009 to 2016 (>0.625 cm in size) by 5-cm levels. (C) Counts of formal and informal tools from all 104 units from 2006 to 2016 (>0.625 cm in size for only the LP, F/C, and BCC layers) at 2.5-cm levels. Occurrence of artifacts below 90.15 m AD is accounted for by the slope of the BCC artifact–bearing deposits. (D) Counts of formal and informal tools from 2015 to 2016 excavations >0.625 cm in size for the LP, F/C, and BCC layers west of E1363. (E) Counts of formal and informal tools from 2015 to 2016 excavations >0.625 cm in size for the LP, F/C, and BCC layers east of E1363. (F) Horizontal distribution of diagnostic artifacts by archaeological component for Block A.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Fig. 5 Pre-Clovis projectile points from the Debra L. Friedkin site and other sites in North America. (A) Triangular lanceolate point (AM9811-1), (B) lanceolate stemmed point (AM9875-2), (C) lanceolate stemmed point midsection with base and blade sections (AM12017-1), (D) lanceolate stemmed point midsection with base and blade sections (AM6233-1), (E) lanceolate stemmed point midsection with base and blade sections (AM12271-1), (F) point tip (AM4668-6), (G) lanceolate stemmed point base (AM8286-16), (H) point midsection (AM4819-7), (I) beveled point tip (AM12170-1), (J) beveled point tip (AM8380-3), (K) beveled point tip midsection (AM12029-2), and (L) point tip (AM12274-13). (M) Point from Iztapan Mammoth II, Mexico [from (29)], (N) point from Iztapan Mammoth II, Mexico [from (29)], (O) point from Iztapan Mammoth I, Mexico [from (29)], and (P) Miller point from Meadowcroft Rockshelter, Pennsylvania.
Fig. 5 Pre-Clovis projectile points from the Debra L. Friedkin site and other sites in North America. (A) Triangular lanceolate point (AM9811-1), (B) lanceolate stemmed point (AM9875-2), (C) lanceolate stemmed point midsection with base and blade sections (AM12017-1), (D) lanceolate stemmed point midsection with base and blade sections (AM6233-1), (E) lanceolate stemmed point midsection with base and blade sections (AM12271-1), (F) point tip (AM4668-6), (G) lanceolate stemmed point base (AM8286-16), (H) point midsection (AM4819-7), (I) beveled point tip (AM12170-1), (J) beveled point tip (AM8380-3), (K) beveled point tip midsection (AM12029-2), and (L) point tip (AM12274-13). (M) Point from Iztapan Mammoth II, Mexico [from (29)], (N) point from Iztapan Mammoth II, Mexico [from (29)], (O) point from Iztapan Mammoth I, Mexico [from (29)], and (P) Miller point from Meadowcroft Rockshelter, Pennsylvania.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Fig. 6 Proposed models explaining the peopling of the Americas. (A) The earliest people exploring the Americas used stemmed projectile points and traveled along the coast ~16 ka ago, moved inland, and reached the Debra L. Friedkin site by ~15.5 ka ago and South America by ~14.2 ka ago (blue arrows). (B) A triangular lanceolate projectile point form develops in situ from the earlier lanceolate stemmed form ~14 ka ago, with Clovis developing ~13 ka ago and spreading across most of the United States and northern Mexico (red arrows). (C) Alternatively, the origin of Clovis may be explained by a second migration that occurs with people using triangular lanceolate points traveling through the ice-free corridor and reaching the Friedkin site by ~14 ka ago. Clovis develops in situ ~13 ka ago and spreads across central and eastern North America (red arrows). Archaeological sites with ages are shown. Colored regions on the map show the general distribution of Clovis, with highest densities in the east (brown), moderate densities in the central United States (orange), and light densities in the west (yellow), overlapping with the Western Stemmed Tradition shown by the cross-hatch pattern.
Fig. 6 Proposed models explaining the peopling of the Americas. (A) The earliest people exploring the Americas used stemmed projectile points and traveled along the coast ~16 ka ago, moved inland, and reached the Debra L. Friedkin site by ~15.5 ka ago and South America by ~14.2 ka ago (blue arrows). (B) A triangular lanceolate projectile point form develops in situ from the earlier lanceolate stemmed form ~14 ka ago, with Clovis developing ~13 ka ago and spreading across most of the United States and northern Mexico (red arrows). (C) Alternatively, the origin of Clovis may be explained by a second migration that occurs with people using triangular lanceolate points traveling through the ice-free corridor and reaching the Friedkin site by ~14 ka ago. Clovis develops in situ ~13 ka ago and spreads across central and eastern North America (red arrows). Archaeological sites with ages are shown. Colored regions on the map show the general distribution of Clovis, with highest densities in the east (brown), moderate densities in the central United States (orange), and light densities in the west (yellow), overlapping with the Western Stemmed Tradition shown by the cross-hatch pattern.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

46 Own result · 21 Own interpretation · 19 No full text of the sources · 16 Not checked yet · 9 Sources not found · 8 No basis given · 4 Own method · 3 Partly supported · accuracy not yet measured

Verify all 14 references — free account

Show all 70 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 43
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 22
56 of 56
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The connection between the artifact assemblages of the ~14- to ~15-thousand-year-old North American sites and later Clovis and Western Stemmed Traditions remains unclear.

    “The connection between the artifact assemblages of the ~14- to ~15-thousand-year-old North American sites and later Clovis and Western Stemmed Traditions remains unclear.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    According to the geological principle of inclusions, any items, such as artifacts, in an undisturbed sedimentary deposit are at least as old as the sediments that contain them.

    “according to the geological principle of inclusions, any items, such as artifacts, in an undisturbed sedimentary deposit, such as the floodplain clays at the Friedkin site, are at least as old as the sediments that contain them”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The U and Th decay series are in secular equilibrium in the dated sediments.

    “The U and Th content of the sediments, assuming secular equilibrium in the decay series, 40K, and Rb, was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry by ALS Laboratories (Reno, NV).”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The moisture content of the dated sediments during burial was similar to that of the nearby pedons used to derive it.

    “Moisture content (weight percent) during the burial period was derived from instrumented, nearby pedons whose floodplain soils were similar to those that formed along a higher-order tributary, such as Buttermilk Creek (11).”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The cosmic ray dose rate component can be estimated from the current depth of burial.

    “A significant cosmic ray component between 0.24 and 0.29 mGy/year was included in the estimated dose rate, taking into account the current depth of burial (44).”
5 of 5

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

Show all 39 references

Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. M. R. Waters T. W. Stafford The First Americans: A review of the evidence for the late-Pleistocene peopling of the Americas in Paleoamerican Odyssey K. E. Graf C. V. Ketron M. R. Waters Eds. (Texas A&M Univ. Press 2014) pp. 541–560.
  2. M. R. Waters C. D. Pevny D. L. Carlson Clovis Lithic Technology: Investigation of a Stratified Workshop at the Gault Site Texas (Texas A&M Univ. Press 2011).
  3. M. B. Collins Archeology in Central Texas in The Prehistory of Texas T. K. Perttula Ed. (Texas A&M Univ. Press 2004) pp. 101–126.
  4. J. Lohse, S. L. Black, L. M. Cholak, Toward an improved Archaic radiocarbon chronology for Central Texas. Bull. Texas Archeol. Soc. 85, 259–287 (2014).
  5. C. B. Bousman B. W. Baker and A. C. Kerr Paleoindian Archeology in Texas in The Prehistory of Texas T. K. Perttula Ed. (Texas A&M Univ. Press 2004) pp. 15–97.
  6. N. Flegenheimer L. Miotti N. Mazzia Rethinking early objects and landscapes in the Southern Cone: Fishtail-point concentrations in the Pampas and northern Patagonia in Paleoamerican Odyssey K. E. Graf C. V. Ketron M. R. Waters Eds. (Texas A&M Univ. Press 2014) pp. 359–376.
  7. L. G. Davis S. C. Willis S. J. Macfarlan Lithic technology cultural transmission and the nature of the Far Western Paleoarchaic/Paleoindian co-tradition in Meeting at the Margins D. Rhode Ed. (Univ. Utah Press 2012) pp. 47–64.
  8. D. A. Suhm E. B. Jelks Handbook of Texas Archaeology: Type Descriptions (Texas Memorial Museum Bulletin no. 4 1962).

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Metadata

Authors
Waters, M. R., Keene, J. L., Forman, S. L., Prewitt, E. R., Carlson, D. L., & Wiederhold, J. E.
Affiliations
  • Texas A&M University (US)
  • Baylor University (US)
  • The University of Texas at Austin (US)
Corresponding author
Waters, Michael R.
Venue
Science Advances
Published
2018-10-05
Volume
4
Issue
10
Pages
eaat4505-eaat4505
ISSN
2375-2548 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2898132821
Cited by
115
References
39
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 40 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 2
FWCI
47.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science Advances (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • North Star Archaeological Research Program
  • Elfrieda Frank Foundation
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
  • Social Sciences › Archeology › Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
Keywords
pre-Clovis, projectile points, stemmed projectile points, Folsom points, peopling of the Americas, Late Pleistocene, lithic chronology, Texas
MeSH terms
Americas, Archaeology, Bayes Theorem, Geology, Humans, Luminescent Measurements, Texas, Geologic Sediments, History, Ancient, Human Migration

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