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Miniature Paleo-Indian Stone Artifacts from the Parkhill, Ontario Site
Miniature representation of lithic artifacts – including points - have been reported from a number of Paleo-Indian sites. They seem too small to have had any functional use as tools, generally exhibit no use-wear and their true function is not known. Here’s the abstract for “Miniature Paleo-Indian Stone Artifacts from the Parkhill, Ontario Site” by Christopher Ellis, published in North American Archaeologist Vol 15(3) 253-367 1994:
“An assemblage of seven miniature stone artifacts from the Early Paleo-Indian Parkhill Site are described and analysed. The assemblage includes not only the miniature points on channel flakes reported from other Paleo-Indian sites but also, a miniature end scraper made on a scraper retouch flake. A lack of use evidence and consistent spatial clustering of these artifacts suggests that these tiny artifacts are neither utilitarian tools or children’s toys. As a result it is argued these items served a function in the ideological sphere as, for example, in shamanistic rituals.”
You can download the full paper from the University of Western Ontario website here:
Miniature representation of lithic artifacts – including points - have been reported from a number of Paleo-Indian sites. They seem too small to have had any functional use as tools, generally exhibit no use-wear and their true function is not known. Here’s the abstract for “Miniature Paleo-Indian Stone Artifacts from the Parkhill, Ontario Site” by Christopher Ellis, published in North American Archaeologist Vol 15(3) 253-367 1994:
“An assemblage of seven miniature stone artifacts from the Early Paleo-Indian Parkhill Site are described and analysed. The assemblage includes not only the miniature points on channel flakes reported from other Paleo-Indian sites but also, a miniature end scraper made on a scraper retouch flake. A lack of use evidence and consistent spatial clustering of these artifacts suggests that these tiny artifacts are neither utilitarian tools or children’s toys. As a result it is argued these items served a function in the ideological sphere as, for example, in shamanistic rituals.”
You can download the full paper from the University of Western Ontario website here:
