How Long Did Clovis Last? The long and short of it.

     

    Bayesian Analysis conducted in 2013 by David Thulman and Michael Faught for the Clovis Odyssey

     
     
    How long did Clovis last? It is a question with important implications for understanding Clovis demographics and evaluating the spread of Clovis and its relationship to other contemporaneous, pre-Clovis, and post-Clovis archaeological cultural groups. Because an accurate chronology is necessary to evaluate these and other questions, we have calculated a statistical estimate of the temporal span of the Clovis cultural phase using Bayesian statistics provided by the Oxcal.com website.
     
    At the time of this research (2013) there were scores of Clovis 14C ages available, and we argue that analysis using Bayesian statistics and the then-recently published IntCal 13 calibration curve (Bronk Ramsey 2009; Reimer et al. 2013) is a disciplined method for evaluating the ages and making models.
     
    In 2013, at the Paleoamerican Odyssey Conference, and using Bayesian analysis, ARCO-OP board members (Thulman and Faught) presented a poster that evaluated the age and span of Clovis, as well as its chronological relationships with other culture groups: Western Stemmed Points, Folsom, and Debert/Bullbrook archaeological cultural groups.  
     
    It can be viewed here:  Thulman&Faught_Poster_2013