(Holding it in the air) This, class, is what a well designed fish hook looks like. You can see the important details that separate this from a mediocre hook. Take a good look, because, tomorrow, you will each be required to bring to class a gopher's rib....
OT(Still)OOOH, it may just be the proverbial archaeologist's delight, A RITUAL OBJECT!
Your post, presumably made in jest, holds a lot of truth.
As an archaeologist, I am constantly finding things I don't understand but have to try to interpret. The "ritual object" you cite is funny because it was so overused in the past as to become a source of amusement nowdays.
But what about some of our current interpretations?
This is the kind of thing that keeps many of us up nights, when we should be sleeping.
There are a few things we can do. This fishhook could be dated, for about $675. That would give a pretty accurate age. Sorry, I don't buy the 300-12,000 range. Folks should be able do to better than that.
We have a particular shell fishhook in my area which is supposed to span some 3,000 or more years. We have dated five, and have a better estimate of the actual range. So far its less than half of that, but at least we have some solid data to go on. More dates will surely expand that range, but now we are dealing with data rather than conjecture.
But those darn ritual objects... What are we gonna do with them?