Type of projectile point used in South America during the Late Pleistocene
Variety of Fishtail projectile points (both whole and fragments) found in Argentina and Chile
Fishtail points, also known asFell points are a style ofPaleoindianprojectile point widespread across much of South America at the end of the Late Pleistocene, around 13-12,000 years ago.[1] They are thought to have been multifunctional, serving as cutting tools, as well ashafted tospears to use as hunting weapons, possibly in combination withspear throwers.
Their chronological timing is disputed, with some authors favouring a short chronology spanning 12,800–12,200 yearsBefore Present (BP), while others favouring a long chronology spanning 13,500–10,200 years BP.[2] It is the earliest widespread lithic style in South America,[3] being contemporaneous in its earlier stages to the use ofClovis points in North America.[1] Fishtail points may be derived from Clovis points,[4][5] or possibly from Fishtail-like points found on the Gulf Coast of North America and in Central America.[6]
The name "Fishtail point" derives from their fish-like shape, with broad shoulders, indented stems and flared bases, while the name "Fell point" originally given byJunius Bird derives fromCueva Fell (Fell's Cave) in southernPatagonia, where the first points were found.[7] They are typicallybifacially thinned, though some unifacial Fishtail points are known.[8] The points were manufactured from blanks with a combination ofpercussive flaking andpressure flaking.[7] In comparison to Clovis points, Fishtail points are often but not always fluted (having a long flake running along the length of the point removed, leaving a groove at the base).[9][1]
In Uruguay, Fishtail points were most often manufactured fromsilcrete (54%), with other source rocks includingchert (10%)jasper (9%)quartzite (7%)opal (7%) andquartz (5%),[10] while in the Tandilia Range of the Argentine Pampas, local quartzite was preferred (>75%).[11]
Fishtail points varied significantly in size and form, and many were likelyhafted tospears,[2][5] which were possibly used in combination withspear throwers,[3] though some are suggested to have served other purposes, like as knives or as cutting tools, and the same point may have been used for multiple functions.[5][12] Following being damaged, the points were often later recycled intoburins or cutting tools, or less oftenscrapers or other lithic types, sometimes in combination on the same artefact.[13] Other lithic tools utilized by Fishtail producing peoples includeblades.[14]
Fishtail points have the highest find frequency in the open regions of thePampas and Patagonia, but are also found with some frequency in theAndes, extending as far north as Ecuador.[1] While Brazilian finds are most common inSouthern Brazil, some finds are also known from central, northern and northeastern Brazil, including in the states ofMato Grosso,Goiás,Amazonas andBahia.[15] Finds in Patagonia extend to the farthest south of the region, includingTierra del Fuego.[10]
Like theClovis culture, the people who produced Fishtail points were willing to transport rocks and stone tools hundreds of kilometers away from the original outcrop, in one case 482 kilometres (300 mi),[10] which may have been the result of exchanges between different groups.[16]
The people who produced Fishtail points are suggested to have been highly-mobile hunter-gatherers.[12] Fishtail points are suggested to have been utilized forbig-game hunting ofmegafaunal mammals[3] and the peak abundance of the points coincides with the proposed extinction interval for most large mammals in South America as part of theLate Pleistocene megafauna extinctions, suggesting that the hunting may have had a causal role in the extinctions. Fishtail points disappeared following the extinction of the megafauna, and were replaced by projectile point styles better suited for hunting smaller prey.[1]
Direct association between Fishtail points and extinct megafauna are rare,[3] though such an association is preserved at several sites. These includePiedra Museo in Santa Cruz Province in Southern Argentina and in Cueva del Medio in southern Chile, where Fishtail points were found in association with the extinct equineHippidion saldiasi, some of which show cut marks indicative of butchery. Evidence of hunting of members of the living llama genusLama was also found at both sites. At both sites the extinct large ground slothMylodon was also found.[17][18] While there is no clear evidence for its consumption at Cueva del Medio,[17] cut marks were found on a mylodont rib at Piedra Museo.[19] At the Paso Otero 5 site in the Pampas of northeast Argentina, Fishtail points are associated with burned bones of the elephant-sized giant ground slothsMegatherium americanum andLestodon the smaller ground slothsScelidotherium,Glossotherium andMylodon, the glyptodontGlyptodon, the equineEquus neogeus, the rhinoceros-like ungulateToxodon, the camel-like ungulateMacrauchenia, and the extinct llamaHemiauchenia. The bones appear to have been deliberately burned as a source of fuel. Due to the poor preservation of the bones there is no clear evidence of human modification, with the possible exception of a fracture on aHemiauchenia tibia,[20] though it has been argued that the animals present at the site had probably been consumed prior to burning, whether procured by hunting or scavenging.[21]
^Suarez, Rafael. 2009. Unifacial Fishtail Points: Considerations about the archaeological record of Paleo South Americans.Current Research in the Pleistocene 26:12–15.
