Anthropology faculty share their favorite artifacts: Paleoindian point
Gordon Grosscup, professor emeritus and the Gordon L. Grosscup Museum of Anthropology's namesake, shares some details about his favorite artifact in the museum.
What is the artifact?
The "Paleoindian" point (a spear point made of stone). Since there is no evidence showing the use of bow and arrows in this area at that time, it was probably from a small spear.
Where is the artifact from?
This artifact was recovered in the Macomb County area, on one of the projects I led back in the '70s or '80s.
Why is this artifact important?
This artifact is close to ten thousand years old and provides evidence of a hunting culture in Michigan that typically was believed to take place more in the main territory.
Why is this your favorite artifact?
I like the rarity of the object and the fact that it documents the presence of a hunting culture in Michigan, because you don't hear about that much.
Can you tell us anything else about the artifact?
There was a graduate paper written on this artifact, published in Michigan Archaeology.