Ohio man finds 15,000-year-old flint spear tip

Spear point a glimpse of ancient Ohio

Heath man awed to learn that his find is a rare Clovis artifact

Tuesday, December 11, 2007
By Josh Jarman
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

HEATH, Ohio -- Don Johnson didn't need an archaeologist to describe the rarity of his find that day in early summer when he reached down and plucked the flint spear point from the soil: He could feel it.

"When I found the Clovis, it sent something through me," Johnson said. "I couldn't explain it, but I knew it was special."

That was four years ago. But not until September did the Knox County tree farmer learn that he had stumbled across a 15,000-year-old piece of human history. The find was a Clovis point, the flint tip of a weapon early hunters used to slay mastodons and other large creatures during what some say is the first documented period of human existence in North America.

"I was speechless," Johnson said, recalling when he learned of the spear point's origin during a flint-knapping event at Flint Ridge State Park in Licking County.

Brad Lepper, an archaeologist with the Ohio Historical Society, said finding a Clovis point occurs only once in most people's lifetimes. The Paleo-Indians used the weapons for only about 500 years, he said.

Lepper met Johnson and confirmed that the point was made of Coshocton flint, a darker and, to early Americans, more desirable grade of stone used for both weapons and tools.

The Clovis culture is named after the spears they used in part because the weapons were central to how the people hunted and survived, he said. It's also about all that is left of the ancient people.

"Some are so wonderfully made," Lepper said. "They are not just weapons but works of art."

There is evidence of a precursor to the Clovis points in archaeological digs, he said. "But they don't have the panache of being found stuck between mammoth bones. You see a picture of a guy with a spear hunting a mastodon in any museum or book that covers the period. It's the dominant image in our imagining of ice-age America."

Charlie Fohl, another Heath resident and retiree, said ancient artifacts are just waiting to be found along Licking County waterways.

Fohl, 71, says he, too, has found a Clovis point, along with about 120 other flint artifacts, in daily walks near his home. He's not quite sure what turned him on to flint hunting, but the thrill of discovery keeps him going.

"It's like finding treasure," he said. "Each one is a piece of history."

Johnson, 44, who claims some Blackfoot and Cherokee blood from his grandparents, said arrowheads have been finding him for the past 10 years.

He never goes looking for artifacts, and he kicked up his Clovis by accident. That's typical, he said, of the dozen or so arrowheads he has found in fields near Utica.

"It makes you stop and think how old and precious everything is," Johnson said. "To find something from that time is really special."

Most spear points. Actually atl-atl in this case, are in the 2 to 4 inch range. any thing longer is just tot fragile. The point he found looks about right for that era ( Paleo Period ), although i would love to have a look at it. I have been a colletor of artifacts for close to 50 years, and theres not many styles i don't have. I only have 1 complete Clovis and it was purchased from a museum when it closed, along with to Folsoms and some Zuni pottery. I have been to many rock and gem shows, auctions and private sales and have yet to see a Clovis over 4 inches that was real. Most of the points or blades that you see, that are longer than that are fakes. It's a mistake to call blades over 4 inches spear points, all i have seen were just blades and cutting devices, with the notches used for nothing more than, an area to tie a leather strap or lanyard.

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