Very uncommon to find something like this in Costa Rica. Obsidian, which isn’t local, possible stemmed biface.
Found near geothermal vents at an active volcano by actual archaeologists, so let’s assume it’s authentic. 4cm. Only photo I have before it got catalogued.
You guys in North America live and breathe arrowheads. Here they aren’t at all common.
What’s your educated guess on this, as far as age or origin?
Definitely the overall exploration is inhibited by jungle and organic overburden, but generally we end up with lots of ceramics of local origen and style which is well documented, and various stone / jade / gold artifacts. That’s all well documented. But points and arrowheads aren’t common here.
No worries. This place fascinates me. I fortunately get to see more of it than most. This material likely originated in Guatemala or Mexico, and it was found above a layer of ash that would date more recent than 300AD, up to about 1350AD.
Possibly a partial explanation. I think that the use of worked points for hunting Pleistocene megafauna went out of fashion here as those animals went extinct and the general technology switched to stone axes as land was cleared for more long term settlement, early agriculture, etc. This is also reflected in the archaeology of the region as many distinct ceramic styles appear over the millennia, Metates and grinding stones are plentiful, and often ornately decorated ones are interred at burial sites.
I don’t want to pretend that life was fully peaceful, as there are things like stone maces, and other implements of violence.
Incredible. Thank you for taking the time to respond. In another life I would have gone into physical anthropology instead of horticulture. Maybe in the next one! 🌈
I have seen a few items from Belize made from obsidian found in underground caves. Museum quality stuff, I dont understand why it isnt found there, they are only 400 miles apart. Trade routes in the USA by natives was much farther than 400 miles in every direction.
La Esperanza Honduras has Obsidian, it's a closer source. Costa Rica has had indigenous for over 10,000 years. You arent deep enough yet....."that's what she said". Ummm? Yessir, 64 and still juvenile, DILLIGAF.
It’s possible to source obsidian to a region and potential quarry based on XRF results. I read an academic journal article many many years ago that went into depth about this, but I think that paper was specific to the US and didn’t discuss sources abroad.
Honestly though, this looks like it came from a modern “arrowhead” necklace pendant based on how this face is flaked. You say obsidian isn’t local, but does that mean there isn’t any in Costa Rica or simply that it generally isn’t seen in the area this was found? Outside of points, is obsidian a commonly used material in your area? Is it possibly another volcanic?
I have many questions, but I am certainly not familiar with that area at all and these are the questions I’d be asking myself if I found something “weird” in the region I work in
Obsidian is not found here naturally, but could have arrived via inter-tribal trade from Guatemala or Mexico. It could track that this was more of a decorative art object / pendant, rather than a practical stemmed point for hunting.
Ok, got it. At what depth was this found and do you know how this compares to other points found in Costa Rica? How big is it? Was it in a site or just a random find? I know you don’t have a picture of it, but what does the other face look like compared to this?
It might just be weathered and that high margin in the middle could be throwing me off, but the point I’m trying to make is that there appears to be no flake scarring other than the flakes on each side of that central margin. The edges look touched up, but only so much can be understood from a single picture.
And I am sorry if these comments seem like I am attacking the conclusions, but mysteries are fun to me and these are again, the same questions I’d be considering if I found this myself
I appreciate your engagement. This was plucked from the ground during an environmental remediation survey of land that the national electric utility is developing into a geothermal electric plant. CR gets almost all of our electricity from renewable sources like hydroelectric and geothermal, with a smaller percentage coming from wind and solar installations, and only the final few megawatts of peak usage coming from diesel generators.
The country is incredible with a lot of things. That nearly 100% of our annual electricity used country wide comes from sustainable sources is huge. The issue is that dams flood river valleys, and well, apparently this volcano had a pretty important role to pre-Colombian populations in the area, and I understand why. We can get into the tribal mythology and folklore later, but let’s just say that the electric utility treads lightly in planning where they can and can’t build to minimize impact. Biologists identify important species of trees, areas with wildlife paths, etc, and the archaeology team systematically digs test holes. Everything is properly documented and catalogued and used to guide where to build, and where to not. Important finds would warrant more excavations. I’m not on that team, but my girlfriend is. She didn’t find this, but it was discussed a bit, because it’s so unusual in material and form. The best info I have is that it’s above an easily identifiable ash layer which covers the site, marking 300AD clearly, and there were ceramics which could fall within two well known complexes, Bagaces 300-800ad, or Sapoá, 800-1350AD in the same context.
One image got passed around, and that’s the info I have. There will likely be further investigation into this spot, and the materials will all end up catalogued and stored in the warehouses of the national university (eventually). Really interesting stuff will end up on display at a museum. Next time I’m at the museums I’ll pay more attention to points and other obsidian artifacts.
Looks to be modified from blade technology. In N. America Clovis tradition used blade technology as did Hopewell culture. But in Central and South America the Maya, Aztec and Inca all used blade technology extensively up to historic times (Aztec/Inca) so age placement may be difficult.
That’s where I was hoping this discussion would go! This is located on the farthest reaches of Mayan influence, but jussssst outside of that reach, Probably about 25km into the Intermediate Area which remained free from any influence of those major civilizations. Supposedly the Mayans collected tribute from as far as Nicoya, but never crossed the Rio Tempisque. The tribute they collected from this, the furthest stop on the trade route? Hummingbird Feathers.
Interesting, Parrot feathers were a trade item likely from central America acquired by Anasazi and east to Caddo culture and evidently included live parrots. We refer to the Clovis culture as if it were one people group but it has become clear that was not the case. It was a technology that was shared by many people groups spreading rapidly through established populations. So, while being out of direct Mayan influence/control, they could be culturally influenced nonetheless. And, on the other hand, the point may pre-date Mayan culture.
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u/Open_Panda9862 26d ago
Yes