The Continuity of Technology Across Millennia

One of the most striking things about the history of stone tool technology in the Americas — from the Clovis period through the centuries of post-Clovis diversification — is both its remarkable persistence and its equally remarkable adaptability.

Some basic principles of stone tool production that were in use during the Clovis period continued to be applied, in modified forms, across the subsequent millennia of Native American prehistory.

The understanding of stone fracture mechanics, the techniques for controlled flake removal, the strategies for thinning bifaces and producing pointed implements — these technical traditions were transmitted across generations, modified as needed for changing conditions, and maintained in various forms until the introduction of metal tools in the contact period and beyond.