Stone Age New York 2011-12-29T18:31:39-05:00 lifetype-1.2.11_r7114 http://www.stoneagenewyork.com/rss.php?blogId=1&profile=atom Copyright (c) kpierce tag:www.stoneagenewyork.com,2011-12-29:2962 Genesee River at Letchworth State Park 2011-12-29T18:31:39-05:00      River cliffs at Letchworth kpierce General      River cliffs at Letchworth tag:www.stoneagenewyork.com,2011-12-28:2961 Stone Bird Culture Tools 2011-12-28T21:41:19-05:00            Various tools of the culture kpierce General            Various tools of the culture tag:www.stoneagenewyork.com,2011-12-28:2960 Tools of the Stone Bird Culture 2011-12-28T21:08:21-05:00           Sometime after the recession of the Port Huron Ice Sheet and the Valders Ice Advance, paleo hunters developed a culture that honored the ... kpierce General           Sometime after the recession of the Port Huron Ice Sheet and the Valders Ice Advance, paleo hunters developed a culture that honored the animals they hunted by incorporating the images of these animals into the artifacts they left behind. Although many animals of the era were recreated in these artifacts, birds seem to have the most representation. Why paleo peoples created these animal image artifacts is open to conjecture, and we have offered our own insights on this matter. Stone Age New York has found other tools of unusual design in affiliation with these stone animal images. All of the stone tools shown here were found in close proximity along a stream that flows into the Genesee River.           Though they are few in number, the variety of different tool forms is impressive. We found rare sickle and crescent shaped artifacts as well as lanceolate styled artifacts. The "birdhead" artifact is probably an atlatl dart.           Photo 1: Genesee River at Letchworth State Park.           Photo 2: Stone Bird Culture artifacts.           tag:www.stoneagenewyork.com,2011-11-03:2946 A Genesee Clovis Knife 2011-11-03T20:41:15-04:00         Knife stands on flat surface kpierce General         Knife stands on flat surface tag:www.stoneagenewyork.com,2011-11-03:2945 Dorsal Side of Knife 2011-11-03T20:33:29-04:00        5-1/4 x 2-5/8 x 1-1/2 inches kpierce General        5-1/4 x 2-5/8 x 1-1/2 inches tag:www.stoneagenewyork.com,2011-11-03:2944 Side View 2011-11-03T20:28:26-04:00         Aerodynamic Design kpierce General         Aerodynamic Design tag:www.stoneagenewyork.com,2011-11-03:2943 Translucence demonstrated 2011-11-03T20:25:13-04:00 ... kpierce General                                                    Light penetrates artifact tag:www.stoneagenewyork.com,2011-11-03:2942 A Genesee Clovis Knife 2011-11-03T18:53:02-04:00           This gorgeous Clovis knife/spearhead was knapped from grey and white translucent chert. The outstanding detail and craftsmanship that went ... kpierce General           This gorgeous Clovis knife/spearhead was knapped from grey and white translucent chert. The outstanding detail and craftsmanship that went into this artifact make it worthy of possession by a chief or shaman and may have had ceremonial purposes as well. This artifact could of been used as either a handheld knife or a spearhead when hafted to a wooden shaft. The tang on the right side of the artifact prevents prey from shedding the spearhead and escaping its hunter. The knife is decorated with red ocher and could also have been used as a weapon of war. The translucence of the material it was made from is demonstrated by placing a light bulb hehind it as shown in photo 4.           Throughout our articles on the artifacts that SANY has found, we often mention how far advanced the weapon technology of the Paleo peoples had evolved. A sideview of this artifact clearly shows that Clovis and related weapon makers were aware of aerodynamic principals that are routinely used today in jet fighter aircraft. The similarity in design of this spearhead to modern military fighter aircraft is uncanny.            Artifact was found along the banks of the Genesee River and is a part of the Spiritwalker collection.           Photo 1:  Genesee Clovis Knife, front view.           Photo 2:  Dorsal Side of Knife.           Photo 3:  Side view.           Photo 4:  Translucence demonstrated. tag:www.stoneagenewyork.com,2011-10-12:2934 Rectangular Artifact 2011-10-12T16:31:22-04:00        7.75 x 2.75 x 2.5 inches kpierce General        7.75 x 2.75 x 2.5 inches tag:www.stoneagenewyork.com,2011-10-12:2932 Rectangular Artifact (side view) 2011-10-12T16:24:10-04:00          double-tiered surface kpierce General          double-tiered surface