Don’t know if you heard about the 12,000-year-old fishing gear found on California’s Channel Islands.
University of Oregon anthro prof Jon Erlandson said, “The [spear] points we are finding are extraordinary, the workmanship amazing. They are ultra-thin, serrated and have incredible barbs on them. It’s a very sophisticated chipped-stone technology.”
He added that the stemmed points are much different than the iconic fluted points left throughout North America by Clovis and Folsom peoples who hunted big game on land.
These ancient fishermen/hunters apparently harvested red abalones and other shellfish and fish dependent on kelp forests, and also larger pinnipeds [marine mammals] and waterfowl, including an extinct flightless duck. (No surprise that became extinct.)
More here if you want it, but here’s the most interesting part: Some of the points have an odd symbol, very small (arrows in above photo point to the locations), and the scientists can’t decipher it. They used an electron microscope to magnify it, and here it is:
Randy
March 9, 2011 at 9:10 am
Bet if they zoomed in tighter we could see the BPS logo.
Jason
March 9, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Keep digging. I bet there’s a Sexy Shad-patterned spearhead in there somewhere.