Split-Twig Figurines from Northern Arizona: New Radiocarbon Dates

Science. 1965 Apr 16;148(3668):368-9. doi: 10.1126/science.148.3668.368.

Abstract

Recently released radiocarbon dates for split-twig figurines from Marble Canyon, Arizona, are 4095 +/- 100 years ago; they substantiate previously determined dates of 3530 +/- 300 and 3100 +/- 110 years ago. A recently excavated site in Walnut Canyon, Arizona, extends the geographical range of the figurines. The dates of samples from this site are 3500 +/- 100 and 3880 +/- 90 years ago. It is hypothesized that the figurines were magicoreligious artifacts related to the Pinto complex of the Desert Culture.