An array of stone tools discovered in northern Utah including the largest instrument of its kind ever recorded may change what we know about the ancient inhabitants of the Great Basin, archaeologists say.
Researchers exploring the desert flats west of Salt Lake City have uncovered more than a thousand tools, such as spear points, a type of rectangular implement that hasnt been reported before, and objects that an archaeologist describes as giant scrapers coming out of the ground fresh as daisies.
One of the spear heads found at the site is the largest Haskett point yet found, measuring 22.6 centimeters, or about 9 inches. (Courtesy of Far Western Anthropological Research Group)We collected a thousand-some artifacts on this survey, and those are tools, not just [stone] flakes, said Dr. Daron Duke, lead researcher of the team that made the finds.There are tools lying out there.
Its a virtual blitzkrieg when youre walking. I had to be careful about how people stopped and recorded things.
The tools were found in 2012 on the grounds of the U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range , where Dukes firm, the Far Western Anthropological Research Group , was hired to conduct a survey before a section of the range was developed.
Ive driven around down there and have found a few things, and I was always interested to be there, Duke said, who stresses that removing artifacts from federal lands is illegal.
Then lo and behold we have a project right where I always want to be. So I was telling people, Better keep your eyes peeled I think were going to find some cool stuff.
But I couldnt have predicted the scale at which we did.
Link to complete article. http://westerndigs.org/over-1000-ancient-stone-tools-left-by-great-basin-hunters-found-in-utah-desert/
More interesting discoveries.
I read somewhere that ancient cultures were using meteor materials to make hard spear points etc . I'm guessing that would be less brittle than flaked flint ?
I'm not sure if it would be Petey. I seem to remember something about that as well.
From what I found is that most found are made from flint.
I expect flint is a lot more commonplace than meteor materials .
Agreed, it would be more likely to find flint.