Visit the New Gault Display at the Bullock Texas State History Museum!

We are pleased to introduce a new archaeological exhibition now displayed at the Bullock Museum, a valued collaborator in our educational initiatives. This exhibit features a collection of 'incised stones'—stones deliberately altered with controlled, emblematic, and symbolic cut marks. These cut marks demonstrate precision, often appearing as double parallel lines, cross-hatched patterns, and zig-zags. Some stones have less geometric designs, leaning towards representational art.

Over several decades, incised stones have been carefully unearthed at the Gault site, discovered both on the surface and in controlled excavations. These artifacts date back to the earliest Paleoindian contexts, covering the Clovis interval (13,400 – 12,800 years ago) and reaching into deeper deposits predating Clovis by several millennia (20,000 – 16,000 years ago). Notably, these incised stones represent the oldest known art in the Americas at this point in history. Respected GSAR researchers, Dr. Ashley Lemke and Dr. Clark Wernecke, provided a comprehensive summary of these discoveries in an article published in American Antiquity in 2015 (Lemke & Wernecke 2015). To learn more, consider taking a tour of the Gault site and becoming a valued member!

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Gault School of Archeological Research relies on the unwavering support of our members, supporters, and the growing public interest. Strengthening our commitment to education, research, and conservation, we consistently express gratitude to those who champion our cause. We extend deepest appreciation to our partners at the Bullock Museum for their significant contributions to our mission of advancing research and education.

Images are “Courtesy of The Bullock Texas State History Museum”

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Reference Material:

• Lemke, A.K., Wernecke, D.C. and Collins, M.B., 2015. Early art in North America: Clovis and Later Paleoindian incised artifacts from the Gault site, Texas (41BL323). American Antiquity, 80(1), pp.113-133.
• Wernecke, D.C. and Collins, M.B., 2013. Patterns and Process: Some Thoughts on the Incised Stones from the Gault Site (Central Texas, USA). Palethnologie. Archéologie et sciences humaines, (5).
• Wernecke, D.C. and Collins, M.B., 2010. Patterns and process: some thoughts on the incised stones from the Gault Site, Central Texas, United States. L’art Pléistocène dans le Monde, pp.2010-2011.
• Wernecke, D.C., Collins, M.B., Adovasio, J.M. and Gardner, S., 2006. A Tradition Set in Stone: Engraved Stone Objects From the Gault Site, Bell County, TX. In Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, San Juan, Puerto Rico.