Do early Paleoindian point blades carry culturally significant shape information? Modules versus complete points using geometric morphometrics

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that variation in assemblages of prehistoric bifacial stone point blades results from episodes of breakage and resharpening that occur throughout the artifact’s use-life. Is it commonly accepted that point bases were less affected by trauma resulting from use and more likely to retain culturally diagnostic characteristics of shape. Archaeologists using variation in bifacial points, such as projectiles, knives, and drills, as a proxy to study prehistoric cultures’ identity, mobility, and evolutionary trajectories have, therefore, focused most attention on the proximal portions of these artifacts. This approach to the study of stone tools has proven effective, but recently the question has been raised as to whether some cultures, specifically Clovis, the earliest widespread technological tradition in the Americas, included normative resharpening strategies in their technological repertoire. In addressing this question, we use geometric morphometrics to compare the shape of a collection of Clovis points resampled into three datasets: bases, blades, and complete points. We find that the complement of base and blade shape, i.e., the complete point, provides the most parsimonious representation of Clovis-point shape and is most successful in discriminating among regional differences.