Each one was extraordinary.

The Buhl date made her one of the oldest humans ever found in North America.

More importantly, it placed her at a moment of particular significance in the archaeological debate: the debate over the chronological relationship between two distinct stone tool traditions — Clovis and the Western Stemmed Tradition — that were both present in western North America during this period.

The stemmed biface beside her was suddenly not just an artifact.

It was a data point in an argument.