Finding Clovis: The Topper Site | Carolina Stories - Episode 1

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Who were the first South Carolinians? The Clovis people were prehistoric nomads, fantastic hunters, and creators of amazing stone tools. This program takes a look at how these people arrived in South Carolina. People wandered in and out of the region, driven by their basic needs for food and warmth.

Topper is an archeological site located along the Savannah River in Allendale County, South Carolina, named for its finder, David Topper.  When Topper was introduced to the scientific community in 1981, it quickly became known as a treasure trove for artifacts, especially from the Clovis culture. The Topper site is one of the most remarkable Clovis assemblages ever found in North America, certainly in the southeastern United States.

The Clovis people, named for a town near an archeological site in New Mexico, lived in South Carolina and much of the eastern and western United States around 13,000 years ago, near the end of the last Ice Age. These fearless hunters attacked their prey in groups. They hunted megafauna: bison, mastodon, and mammoth. Clovis used a characteristic fluted point, grooved on both sides so it could be attached, or hafted , to a shaft. This is known  as bifacial technology and is highly advanced. The Clovis people were perhaps the most remarkable, the best lithic technologists or stone knappers that ever occurred in North America.

Who were the first South Carolinians? The Clovis people were prehistoric nomads, fantastic hunters, and creators of amazing stone tools. This program takes a look at how these people arrived in South Carolina. People wandered in and out of the region, driven by their basic needs for food and warmth.

Topper is an archeological site located along the Savannah River in Allendale County, South Carolina, named for its finder, David Topper.  When Topper was introduced to the scientific community in 1981, it quickly became known as a treasure trove for artifacts, especially from the Clovis culture. The Topper site is one of the most remarkable Clovis assemblages ever found in North America, certainly in the southeastern United States.

The Clovis people, named for a town near an archeological site in New Mexico, lived in South Carolina and much of the eastern and western United States around 13,000 years ago, near the end of the last Ice Age. These fearless hunters attacked their prey in groups. They hunted megafauna: bison, mastodon, and mammoth. Clovis used a characteristic fluted point, grooved on both sides so it could be attached, or hafted , to a shaft. This is known  as bifacial technology and is highly advanced. The Clovis people were perhaps the most remarkable, the best lithic technologists or stone knappers that ever occurred in North America.

More in this Series

Carolina Stories / Finding Clovis / Finding Clovis - Documentary

Finding Clovis: The Topper Site | Carolina Stories
   - Episode 1 Finding Clovis: Gathering Artifacts | Carolina Stories 2

Video

Grades

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Finding Clovis: Gathering Artifacts | Carolina Stories
Episode 2
As the archeologists dig, they're going back in time. Breaking through the plow zone at Topper, they find stone artifacts from the Woodland period, from around 1,000 AD all the way back to 1,000 BC...
Finding Clovis: Gathering Artifacts | Carolina Stories
   - Episode 2 Finding Clovis: Prehistoric Tools | Carolina Stories 3

Video

Grades

  • 3
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • Higher Education
Finding Clovis: Prehistoric Tools | Carolina Stories
Episode 3
From the remains of stone tool manufacturing at Topper, scientists can piece together the marvelous technology that enabled Clovis hunters to kill huge animals. The tools were made from very It's a...
Finding Clovis: Gathering Artifacts | Carolina Stories
   - Episode 2 Finding Clovis: Clovis People | Carolina Stories 4

Video

Grades

  • 3
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • Higher Education
Finding Clovis: Clovis People | Carolina Stories
Episode 4
Clovis artifacts are found across North America about 13,000 plus or minus 100 years ago. It's a remarkable cultural tradition. Where did the Clovis people come from? Archeology textbooks say the...