Title
Trampling experiments in the search for the earliest Americans
Abstract
Experiments were undertaken to evaluate a natural versus cultural origin for a set of modified pebbles and cobbles found in pre-Clovis-age contexts at the Big Eddy site (23CE426) in southwest Missouri, U.S.A. Two experiments involving Asian elephants and American bison provided evidence that pre-Clovis-age modified cobbles, pebbles, and flakes probably were produced by the trampling of large mammals traversing alluvial gravel bars in search of food and water in a riparian environment. The production of "zoofacts" and behavioral aspects of elephants are described with respect to research on the earliest Americans.
Department(s)
Sociology and Anthropology
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://doi.org/10.2307/25470445
Publication Date
1-1-2007
Recommended Citation
Lopinot, Neal H., and Jack H. Ray. "Trampling experiments in the search for the earliest Americans." American Antiquity (2007): 771-782.
Journal Title
American Antiquity
