Stone Age New York

          This pair of curved flint tools is further proof of the existence of Clovis curved stone culture in western New York State. Clovis toolmakers produced artifacts of extraordinary beauty and versatility that rivaled those made by later Archaic and Woodland period cultures. Although most of the Clovis artifacts we find are made of stone, a few, such as these are made from flint. 

        Clovis toolmakers learned early on that chert is easier to knap than stone and quickly became the material of choice for weapon points, scrapers, drills as well as other chipped implements. Indeed, the very finest tools were made of this easily worked material. Exotic colored forms of chalcedony were often quarried from a central location and passed from hand to hand over thousands of miles to provide a high quality resource for toolmakers in areas where flint was much less readily available. Along with valuable chalcedony and obsidian, other commodities were distributed continent wide as well, not the least of which was knowledge. This priceless commodity would explain why there appears to be a "cultural standardization" of tools from coast to coast during this long ago era.

          Photo 1: Small Clovis curved flint knife, fluted.

          Photo 2: Clovis curved flint knife, fluted.