Northwestern Plains Point Chronology

Clovis 11,200 - 11,000 BP

Clovis is one of the earliest technologies known in the new world. The name for this industry comes from the first important site near Clovis, New Mexico. The Clovis technology is found throughout the high plains. While regional variations exist, the Clovis technology is characterized by a bifacial tool and flake manufacture. The toolkits tend to be highly effective, lightweight, and portable. The points are typically leaf shaped with parallel or slightly convex sides and a concave base. Clovis points also demonstrate overshot flaking (see below, overshot is outlined in yellow).