Controversial Spearpoints Could Rewrite the Story of the First Americans.

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A stemmed point that is about 15,000 years old. It's made out of chert, a type of sedimentary rock.
Credit: Center for the Study of the First Americans/Texas A&M University
▼ Archaeologists have unearthed what are potentially the oldest weapons ever found in North America: eleven spearpoints dating to about 15,500 years ago, a new study finds.
If the discovery, located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Austin, Texas, can be verified, it could strengthen the argument that people settled the Americas earlier than previously thought. But not all experts are convinced by the evidence, with some saying the dating techniques used are unconventional.undefined
The stone-made spearpoints, each measuring up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) long, are so old they predate the Clovis people, who for decades were thought to be the first people to populate the Americas.
"There is no doubt these weapons were used for hunting game in the area at that time," Michael Waters, a distinguished professor of anthropology and director of the Center for the Study of the First Americans at Texas A&M University, said in a statement.
Who were the first Americans?
Exactly how and when the first people reached the Americas is still a mystery. Most researchers agree that the first Americans left northwest Asia and southern Siberia between  25,000 and 20,000 years agoand then traveled to the area of the now-submerged Bering Strait land bridge. But scientists disagree on how long they stayed in this region, known as Beringia, and which route people took from there — for instance, whether ancient people traveled inland or along the coast.
The timing of this incredible journey is also up in the air. For decades, researchers believed the first inhabitants of North America were part of the Clovis culture, which lasted from 13,000 to 12,700 years ago. But archaeological evidence suggests that people made it all the way to Monte Verde, Chile, at least 14,500 years ago, and there are other, more controversial sites in the Americas that suggest they were peopled even earlier.

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