Archaeology

Clovis hunters’ reputation as mammoth killers takes a hit

Tests of stone points show that early Americans may have been better scavengers than hunters of the giant beasts

illustration of a clovis hunter aiming a spear at a mammoth

Artists’ renderings of ancient Clovis people often show them taking down giant beasts, but new research suggests their stone points made such kills unlikely.

Chase Studio/Science Source

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

An amateur archaeologist exploring a dried-out, ancient stream channel called Blackwater Draw near Clovis, New Mexico, made a startling discovery in 1929.