An Examination of the Role of Miniature Projectile Points at the Lindenmeier Folsom Site, Colorado

Abstract

ABSTRACTSignificantly smaller-than-average projectile points have been observed in many Folsom weaponry assemblages. However, while several hypotheses have been put forth suggesting the role these miniature items may have played in Paleoindian toolkits, none of these hypotheses have been explicitly tested. To make matters more confusing, a universal definition of what constitutes a miniature point has not been agreed upon. Utilizing morphological data obtained from the Smithsonian’s collection of projectile points from the Lindenmeier Folsom site in northern Colorado, this paper seeks to fill in some of these gaps in knowledge by (a) suggesting an explicit definition based on a statistical analysis of assemblages throughout the Folsom region; and (b) testing expectations derived from the hypotheses that suggest miniature points in the Folsom toolkit represent toys, ceremonial objects, raw-material conservation, or simply variation in the acceptable morphological attributes of Folsom weaponry.