At the same time, a number of “pre-Clovis” sites have been discovered with tools, possibly up to 24,000 years old. While Clovis arrowheads are the most valuable points you can come across, they are not the oldest.Ĭlovis arrowheads range between 12,000 to 13,000 years old. Are Clovis Arrowheads the Oldest Types of Arrowheads? There are only approximately 10,000 Clovis points, making them an extremely rare find.Ĭlovis arrowheads are one of the oldest stones projectile point types. Why are Clovis Points so Rare?Ĭlovis points are prehistoric arrowheads making them much harder to find than other arrowheads made only a couple of centuries ago. Clovis arrowheads are primarily crafted out of chert or more common stones.The broadest areas of Clovis arrowheads are situated in the midsection or toward the point of the arrowhead.Clovis arrowheads have a slender and concave base and convex or parallel curved sides, meaning that the points are widest in the middle of the arrowhead and narrower towards the bottom where the arrowhead is connected to the shaft.Clovis arrowheads are approximately 1 to 6 inches tall and 1 to 2 inches wide.Clovis arrowheads are large and fluted (grooved), and their flutes are extended from the base up to about half of the entire point.Clovis arrowheads are generally larger than Folsom and Dalton point types.Here are a couple of identifying characteristics that will make them easier to distinguish: Spear-throwers were most commonly used before bows and arrows were available.Ĭlovis arrowheads have similar characteristics to Folsom or Dalton arrowheads, so it can be tricky to distinguish them from a non-expert collector. Most Clovis points were used as darts for spear-throwers. However, their most distinguishable feature of Clovis points is their flute– a small groove of roughly one inch long made near the base of the tool to easily attach their arrowheads to a shaft without cutting the user. What does a Clovis Point Look like?Ĭlovis points have a distinctive appearance that makes them relatively easy to recognize.Īpart from being easy stones to work with, they are often beautiful materials found in a variety of colors. Even though Clovis points are often referred to as Clovis arrowheads, most Clovis points are actually spearheads known as projectile points. Regardless, Clovis points are still the most famous prehistoric points in the Americas.Ĭlovis points are named after their discovery site in the town of Clovis in New Mexico in 1932. However, later on, pre-Clovis tools that existed beforehand were discovered and confirmed to be older than Clovis points. Clovis Points are made from specific rocks, including chert, jasper, obsidian, quartzite, and chalcedony, that break in predictable ways when hit with a harder object to create a smooth, sharp edge.Ĭlovis points were made using what archeologists formerly thought was the oldest form of technology. Billwhittaker at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsĬlovis points are known as a type of prehistoric tool made by natives in North America roughly 10,000 to 13,500 years ago.
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