THIS PRESENTATION IS ABOUT THE PALEO AND ARCHAIC

THIS PRESENTATION IS ABOUT THE PALEO AND ARCHAIC HUNTERS IN OHIO

PALEO MEANS “ANCIENT” ARCHAIC MEANS “VERY OLD”

BERING STRAIT LAND BRIDGE ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE THESE PALEO AND ARCHAIC HUNTERS GOT TO OHIO FROM ASIA, CROSSING IN THE AREA OF TODAY’S BERING STRAIT. THE THOUGHT IS THERE WAS SO MUCH WATER LOCKED UP IN HUGE ICE CAPS ON THE EARTH THAT THE SEA LEVEL WAS MUCH LOWER. THIS CREATED A “LAND BRIDGE” OR ISTHMUS FROM ASIA TO PRESENT DAY ALASKA.

THESE HUNTERS FOLLOWED HERDS OF GAME THROUGH ALASKA AND CANADA. THEY THEN FOLLOWED RIVER VALLEYS AND SETTLED INTO VARIOUS AREAS OF NORTH AMERICA, INCLUDING OHIO.

WE KNOW THIS FROM THE WORK OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS. AN ARCHAEOLOGIST IS SOMEONE WHO STUDIES PREHISTORIC MAN AND CULTURES. THE ARCHAEOLOGIST DOES THIS STUDY BY LOOKING FOR ARTIFACTS LEFT BEHIND BY THESE PRE-HISTORIC PEOPLE. AN ARTIFACT IS ANYTHING TOUCHED BY MAN. THIS COULD BE A WEAPON, LIKE A SPEAR POINT OR ARROW HEAD, A TOOL, LIKE A HIDE SCRAPER OR STONE KNIFE, OR A FIRE PIT FULL OF ASHES OR GARBAGE SUCH AS BROKEN POTTERY, PARTIALLY EATEN FOOD OR ANYTHING MAN HAS TOUCHED.

THE REASON THE ARCHAEOLOGIST STUDIES ARTIFACTS IS THAT IS ALL ANCIENT MAN, SUCH AS THE PALEO AND ARCHAIC HUNTERS, HAVE LEFT BEHIND. THERE ARE NO BOOKS OR WRITTEN RECORDS BY PRE-HISTORIC PEOPLE. PRE-HISTORIC MEANS “BEFORE WRITING. ” IF THERE IS NO WRITING…THERE IS NO HISTORY IS THE WRITTEN RECORD OF MAN.

THE WAY ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER THESE ARTIFACTS IS OFTEN BY DIGGING FOR THEM. THIS IS A GROUP OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS DIGGING IN SOUTHERN OHIO AT A PALEO HUNTERS CAMP SITE. YOU CAN SEE THE STONES USED FOR A FIRE PIT.

HERE IS AN ARCHAIC HUNTERS SITE IN OHIO NEAR THE OHIO RIVER.

HERE IS A MAP OF IMPORTANT PALEO AND ARCHAIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES THAT HAVE HAD MANY ARTIFACTS FOUND AT THEM.

THE NEXT FEW PICTURES ARE OF SOME OF THE STONE SPEAR HEADS, ARROW HEADS AND TOOLS USED BY PALEO AND ARCHAIC MAN IN OHIO.

WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE PALEO AND ARCHAIC INDIANS LOOKED LIKE. WE HAVE TO MAKE GUESSES. HERE ARE SOME ARTISTS’ IDEAS OF WHAT PALEO AND ARCHAIC INDIANS LOOKED LIKE HERE IN OHIO.

THOUGH WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY LOOKED LIKE, WE DO KNOW THEY WERE TREMENDOUS HUNTERS. THEY HUNTED THE MAMMOTH HERE IN OHIO. THE REASON WE KNOW THIS IS WE HAVE FOUND PALEO AND ARCHAIC SPEAR POINTS IN SITES WITH MAMMOTH BONES IN PITS. THE HUNTERS LURED THE MAMMOTHS INTO THE PITS AND THEN KILLED THE MAMMOTH. AGAIN, HERE A FEW ARTISTS’ IDEAS OF WHAT HUNTING A MAMMOTH MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE.

I DON’T THINK THIS IS HOW THE HUNTING WAS DONE, OUT IN THE OPEN WITH THE MAMMOTH ABLE TO EASILY MOVE, RUN AND ATTACK.

THOUGH THIS PICTURE IS NOT AS CLEAR, I THINK THIS IS MORE LIKE WHAT HAPPENED. THE MAMMOTH WAS CAUGHT IN A PIT AND THEN KILLED BY MANY HUNTERS. SOME USED SPEARS. OTHERS USED ROCKS.

THIS NEXT PICTURE SHOWS A HUNTER USING AN “ATL-ATL. ” THIS WAS A THROWING STICK OR EXTENSION ON TO A SPEAR. THE ATL-ATL GAVE MUCH MORE POWER TO THE HUNTER IN THROWING HIS SPEAR LIKE A GOLFER, OR BASEBALL BATTER OR LACROSSE PLAYER HAVING MORE POWER TO HIT OR THROW THE BALL WITH A LONG STICK.

HERE IS THE SPEAR. HERE IS THE ATL -ATL.

THE PALEO AND ARCHAIC HUNTERS OF OHIO WERE JUST THAT… HUNTERS!!!!! THEY HUNTED, GATHERED AND FISHED FOR THEIR FOOD. THEY DID NOT FARM!!!!!!!