In a remote cave system in San Esteban Rock in West-Texas, researchers have made an extraordinary discovery: a 6,500 year old cache of old hunting equipment, deeply buried in the cave. This remarkable collection includes weapons and personal items that offer a rare and lively view of the tools and the daily practices of the prehistoric inhabitants of the region.
The excavation, executed Through the Center for Big Bend Studies (CBBS) with the support of the Odyssey Archaeological Research Fund of the University of Kansas, a complete series of hunting aids has yielded that archaeologists had previously only heard. Among the artifacts, stone points have been made for use with Atlatls-Spear-Throwing devices with which Jagers could launch projectiles with more strength and accuracy.
Devin Pettigrew, a weapon expert and associate professor at CBBS, noted the meaning of the find: “Although we miss the proximal end of the Atlatl handle, the surviving documents offer sufficient context to reconstruct its likely appearance and function.”
The historical importance of the cache are four wooden points, which may have been designed to deliver poison, together with broken dart tips and a rare straight boomerang – an unusual artifact for this region and time period.
What makes this discovery particularly exceptional is the amazing preservation of the materials. Unlike many fragmented archaeological finds from this era, these hunting aids remain in a state with which researchers can study their construction and use in unprecedented detail.
In addition to weapons, the site contained a folded reindeer skin, still conservative seaplaces, as well as traces of human waste.
The edges of the skin wear small holes, which indicates traditional techniques for working skins-probably evidence of hunters that alleviate the material by stretching it on a frame.
The folded skin, stored over Millennia, offers an intimate bond with the daily life of these old people. In the meantime, the intentional attitude of the artifacts – in particular the broken dart tips – shoots that they may have kept symbolic or ceremonial meaning outside their practical use.
Louis Bond van Texas Parks and Wildlife described the mechanics of the Atlatl system: the front of the spear was mounted in a connection on the main axis, while the point was in line with the incentive of the Atlatl, allowing Hunters Darts to launch with both strength and precision.
This advanced technology underlines the possessed deep knowledge, allowing them to follow a big game and hunt in the challenging environment of the old Texas.
Bryon Schroeder, director of CBBS, greeted the discovery as “monumental” because of his ability to fill critical gaps in the archaeological file. “What we have here are incredible snapshots of life – stains on how these people lived, the environment they navigated and how they adapted,” he explained.
