Oldest Bone Weapon in the Americas Discovered by Texas A&M Researchers

In a groundbreaking discovery, a team of researchers led by Dr. Michael Waters from Texas A&M University has identified the oldest bone weapon ever found in the Americas. The weapon, known as the Manis bone projectile point, dates back an astonishing 13,900 years. The team's findings, published in Science Advances, shed light on the early history of Indigenous people in the Americas and provide new insights into their hunting practices.

The discovery came from a thorough study of bone fragments embedded in a mastodon rib bone unearthed at the Manis site in Washington state. The excavation was initially conducted by Carl Gustafson between 1977 and 1979. Using advanced technology such as CT scans and 3D software, Dr. Waters and his team meticulously isolated and assembled the bone fragments, revealing the tip of a bone projectile point. The team determined that this point was crafted from the bone of a mastodon, an ancient relative of elephants, making it the oldest known bone projectile point in the Americas and providing direct evidence of mastodon hunting during that period.

Significantly, the Manis Point predates the well-known Clovis spear points by 900 years. The Clovis people, who lived between 13,050 and 12,750 years ago, were renowned for their distinctive stone tools. Dr. Waters emphasized the importance of the Manis discovery, stating that it is the only bone tool known to predate the Clovis culture. This finding suggests that the early inhabitants of the Americas not only crafted bone weapons but also likely used other types of bone tools according to Texas A&M University.

The exceptional preservation of the Manis specimen is attributed to an unsuccessful hunting attempt. The hunter's spear, armed with the bone projectile point, missed its mark and became lodged in the mastodon's rib. Through their analysis, the researchers determined that the bone used to create the point originated from another mastodon's leg bone and was deliberately shaped into its projectile form. While the intended goal was to impair the mastodon's lung function by targeting the space between its ribs, the hunter missed and struck the rib instead.

Dr. Waters had previously studied the rib bone, presenting his initial findings in 2011. Radiocarbon dating revealed the bone's age, and a genetic study confirmed its origin as a mastodon. In the recent study, the team employed CT imaging and 3D software to isolate and reconstruct the bone fragments, providing a detailed understanding of the specimen's appearance before it splintered within the rib.

The significance of the Manis discovery extends beyond the weapon itself. The site, along with others like the Coopers Ferry site in Idaho (16,000 years old) and the Paisley Caves site in Oregon (14,100 years old), indicates a cluster of early settlements in the Northwestern United States dating from 16,000 to 14,000 years ago, predating the Clovis culture. These sites offer valuable insights into the migration patterns of the first people who entered the Americas, suggesting that they likely arrived via a coastal route along the North Pacific before moving south and ultimately making landfall in the Pacific Northwest.

As archaeologists continue to uncover new evidence, the discovery of the Manis bone projectile point deepens our understanding of the ancient peoples who inhabited the Americas, shedding light on their innovative tool-making abilities, hunting practices and migration patterns. Dr. Waters and his team's research showcases the rich and complex history of Indigenous cultures in the Americas, offering a glimpse into the lives of those who came before us and their remarkable achievements in adapting to and thriving in their environments thousands of years ago.