North American Stone Implements

The author reviews stone tools recovered across North America, comparing chipped and ground types with European palaeolithic and neolithic sequences while arguing that both forms occur together on this continent and cannot yet be tied to separate epochs. He surveys geological and archaeological evidence, citing finds of arrowheads and axes occurring with remains of extinct mammals and within layered alluvial deposits, and examines contemporary interpretations. Attention is given to manufacturing techniques, grinding and flaking processes, and to regional surveys and cave and drift contexts. The essay emphasizes unresolved chronological questions and calls for further careful field investigation to clarify human antiquity in North America.