Blood residues on fluted points from eastern Beringia

• Published in: American Antiquity
• Main Author: T.H.Loy T.H.LoyThomas H.T.H.Loy T.LoyThomas H.https://api.elsevier.com/content/author/author_id/7006379827
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Society for American Archaeology 1998
• Subjects: Archaeology; Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous); Museology; History; 1201 Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous); 1202 History; 1209 Museology; 3302 Archaeology; Arctic; Subarctic; Beringia
• Online Access: https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:685761

Blood residues have been microscopically and chemically detected on fluted projectile points from eastern Beringia. From these residues a variety of large mammal species, including mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), have been identified using biochemical and molecular-biological methods. This is the first time a direct association has been made between the use of fluted projectile points and human predation of extinct fauna and other large Pleistocene mammals in arctic and subarctic North America. This suggests the northern fluted-point assemblages are part of the Paleoindian big-game hunting tradition that was widespread in North America at the close of the Pleistocene.