Paleolithic Ohio History Essay

How I Survived Winter in Prehistoric Ohio

“A large sheet of ice called a glacier covered the northwestern part of the state. Only about one third of the state was ice free and the climate was much colder than it is now” (Nelson). 10,000 B.C. in the Paleolithic period of Ohio was one of the most stressful times in Ohio’s history. To survive this early ecosystem one had to be a master of the Clovis technique along with a master hunter, architect, and be able to work well in smaller groups. This time in Ohio’s history was difficult but it was not impossible to survive if one had the right tools.
The mid-Paleolithic period of Ohio was one that only few could say they lived through. One of the most important things to come out of this period was the technique known as the Clovis Point. This technique involved flaking of flint to turn it into a deadly point that could be used as a spear head or a blade. The Clovis point was so difficult to master that it took years to teach others in the tribes. This was first learned in New Mexico and as tribes split off and migrated it was kept within the generations. Most of the “workshops were located near outcrops of flint where they made most of their tools” (Ohio History Central). Because of this flaking technique, it

They had to create shelters that could be put together and broken down fairly quickly but were stable and warm enough to stand against the harsh winters. “Since they were always on the move their shelters were tents made of wooden poles covered with bark or hides” (Ohio History Central). These shelters were very easy to move but kept the residents very warm because the hide and bark are good materials for keeping the heat in. Although many slept with quite a few people in the shelters because the more people under the tents the more shared heat there was to keep warm during the long freezing nights in Paleolithic