Clovis People and the Ingenious Use of Braced Pikes in Megafauna Hunting
Clovis People and the Ingenious Use of Braced Pikes in Megafauna Hunting
Understanding Ancient Hunting Innovations in the Late Pleistocene
In the wake of the last Ice Age, vast herds of megafauna roamed North America, and the Indigenous peoples who lived alongside these colossal creatures needed effective hunting methods for survival. Recent research1 has unveiled a remarkable technological adaptation used by the Clovis culture—a system of braced pikes that were likely employed in the hunting of massive megaherbivores and for defense against large predators. This innovation, used during the Late Pleistocene, adds a new dimension to our understanding of early human survival strategies. Dr. Scott Byram, a researcher from the University of California, Berkeley remarked,
“This ancient Native American design was an amazing innovation in hunting strategies. This distinctive Indigenous technology is providing a window into hunting and survival techniques used for millennia throughout much of the world."
The Mystery of Clovis Points
Clovis points, named after the town of Clovis, New Mexico, where they were first discovered, have long puzzled archaeologists. These meticulously crafted stone tools, dating back roughly 13,050 to 12,650 years ago, have been unearthed across the United States, often in association with mammoth skeletons. But until recently, the exact nature of how these points were used in hunting remained unclear.
Crafted from chert, flint, or jasper, Clovis points are distinct for their fluted indentations and razor-sharp edges. They vary in size but are typically known for their precision, which made them effective hunting tools. Thousands of these points have been recovered, providing clues about the technology and skill of early humans. However, these points are often the only surviving components of ancient spears, leaving questions about the complete weapon system that early people used to bring down large animals. Dr. Jun Sunseri, also from the University of California, Berkeley, explained,
“Clovis points are often the only recovered part of a spear. The intricately designed bone shafts at the end of the weapon are sometimes found, but the wood at the base of the spear and the pine pitch and lacing that help make them function as a complete system have been lost to time.”
The Innovation of Braced Pikes
New insights into the use of Clovis points have emerged through experimental archaeology. Researchers hypothesize that these points were part of a larger weapon system known as braced pikes—portable, long-handled weapons designed to withstand the immense forces generated by large animals. Braced pikes were likely used by Clovis people to hunt megaherbivores such as mammoths and to defend against predators like the saber-toothed cat.
The use of braced pikes is not unique to North America. Similar weapons have been documented in the Late Holocene across North and South America, Africa, Eurasia, and Southeast Asia. In these regions, historical and ethnographic sources depict braced pikes as essential tools for hunting large game and for warfare. However, the application of this technology in the context of Clovis culture adds a new layer of complexity to our understanding of their survival strategies. Dr. Byram noted,
“People who are doing metal military artifact analysis know all about it because it was used for stopping horses in warfare. But prior to that, and in other contexts with boar hunting or bear hunting, it wasn’t very well known.”
Testing the Braced Pike Hypothesis
To explore this hypothesis, the research team conducted a series of experiments. They constructed replica Clovis point spears and designed a test platform to measure the forces these weapons could endure before breaking. Their tests simulated the impact of an animal charging into a braced pike, revealing the incredible durability of this weapon system. Dr. Jun Sunseri said,
“The kind of energy that you can generate with the human arm is nothing like the kind of energy generated by a charging animal. It’s an order of magnitude different. These spears were engineered to do what they’re doing to protect the user.”
The experiments demonstrated that Clovis point spears, when braced properly, could withstand the powerful forces exerted by large animals, validating the hypothesis that these weapons were designed for high-impact hunting. Unlike traditional thrown spears, braced pikes allowed hunters to plant their weapon securely in the ground, increasing their chances of successfully stopping and killing large prey.
The Legacy of Clovis Technology
Professor Kent Lightfoot of the University of California, Berkeley said,
“The sophisticated Clovis technology that developed independently in North America is testimony to the ingenuity and skills that early Indigenous people employed in their cohabitation of the ancient landscape with now-extinct megafauna.”
The innovation of braced pikes highlights the adaptive strategies that Indigenous peoples used to thrive in a world dominated by megafauna. The Clovis culture's ability to engineer complex weapon systems not only reveals their deep understanding of their environment but also underscores the importance of technological innovation in human survival.
The findings of this study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, challenge previous notions about Clovis hunting techniques and open new avenues for research into the lifeways of early humans in North America. As archaeologists continue to uncover more evidence of Clovis ingenuity, the intricate relationship between humans and their environment during the Late Pleistocene becomes clearer.
Looking Beyond the Clovis Era
This research has broader implications for the study of ancient human cultures around the world. It invites anthropologists and archaeologists to consider the sophisticated systems that early humans developed in response to their environments, whether hunting massive creatures or defending themselves from predators. By understanding the full complexity of ancient weaponry, researchers can gain deeper insights into the lives of early humans and their interactions with the natural world.
As Dr. Byram pointed out,
“It’s a theme that comes back in literature quite a bit. But for whatever reason, it hasn’t been talked about too much in anthropology.”
This study pushes the conversation forward, encouraging a reexamination of how ancient humans engineered their survival in a rapidly changing world.
Byram, R. S., Lightfoot, K. G., & Sunseri, J. U. (2024). Clovis points and foreshafts under braced weapon compression: Modeling Pleistocene megafauna encounters with a lithic pike. PloS One, 19(8), e0307996. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307996