Prehistoric Conflict in the Shadows on the Trail Quadrilogy!

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       Shadows on the Trail is loaded with conflict; beast against beast, man against beast, man

against  man, and man against his own fate. Conflict was not uncommon in the prehistoric world, just

search the Internet with the words prehistoric conflict or prehistoric murder and there are literally

hundreds of links describing all kinds of prehistoric conflict, going all the way back to humans killing

Neanderthals. When it comes to human conflict, the weapon systems may have changed through

history but human nature hasn't.

The Weapon Tips of Choice. In Shadows on the Trial,
the Folsom People used the top projectile point type for their spear tips
while the Mountain People used the projectile point at the bottom.
Both spear tips are equally lethal to man and beast! 

         The below passage from Shadows on the Trail  demonstrates one particular man against man

conflict in a prehistoric world that is large enough for both groups of humans to live in harmony, but

too small for them to avoid conflict with each other. For those of you who have not read Shadows on

the Trail, I am not going to disclose too much information about this conflict. I will tell you that Ei

Hanit was the leader of a warring group of people called the Mountain People. Here, the Mountain

People were battling two other tribes in the close confines of the haunted Spirit Rock Canyon.

Ei Hanit ended the warriors’ chaos with his booming voice, screaming out orders to the warriors. Ei Hanit, a spear in one of his hands and a massive war club in the other, rallied his warriors back up the canyon, away from the rock wall. The warriors jumped over and crawled through the downed pine trees, heaving spears at the hunters. Now organized, the warriors methodically moved up the canyon, launching spear after spear at the outnumbered hunters. The hunters’ ambush had temporarily surprised the large force of warriors, but the tide of the battle had now turned in the warriors’ favor. Spears flew at the hunters from every direction as they hid behind boulders and trees.

            “KILL THEM ALL!” Ei Hanit roared above the sound of Chindi.
            The warriors had made enough progress up the canyon that soon they would overrun the position of the hunters. Ei Hanit smelled victory and screamed at his warriors, rallying them to push forward and launch more spears. The warriors advanced up the canyon, killing hunters when they found them. Avonaco, Hexaka, and seven hunters were still alive and retreating up the canyon, while Ei Hanit and his thirty warriors screamed and chased the surviving hunters. The battle was now a rout, but Ei Hanit would not be satisfied without the complete annihilation of the hunters. It was only a matter of time before the warriors caught up to the hunters and killed them. When Ei Hanit realized the hunters were doomed, he shouted to his warriors, “I WANT THEM ALIVE!” Ei Hanit planned on an entertaining, but sadistic death for the remaining hunters.
           I won't tell you how this battle ends, but I will guarantee that you will be surprised by the outcome. You will just have to read Shadows on the Trail to find out how it actually ends. 

           For those of you who have not read Shadows on the Trail, now is the time. The second and third books in the trilogy are also available around the globe. CLICK for INFORMATION.

     

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Shadows on the Trail Trilogy and the Mysterious Folsom People.



Shadows on the Trail - the first book in
a trilogy about the mysterious Folsom People.

Shadows on the Trail is the first novel in a trilogy about the mysterious people called Folsom who roamed North America from about 10,900 to 10,200 years ago. These people did not leave behind any written words or DNA or anything that could tell us more about them as people. The only real evidence that we have of the Folsom People lifestyles are their campsites, kill sites, and their artifacts, including the remarkably well made fluted projectile points that ultimately became the hallmark of their culture.


A Fluted Folsom projectile point,
a surface find from Middle Park,
Colorado.

 

The link below takes you to a documentary video about the mysterious Folsom People. New Mexico PBS produced this video about the Folsom People with guest Dr. Bruce B. Huckell, an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology  at the University of New Mexico. The documentary is factual and interesting, but nothing like the high drama action found in my book  Shadows on the Trail, but the documentary is based on scientific facts and hypothesis, based on archaeological evidence.  

I hope you enjoy the short documentary and I really hope you enjoy my book Shadows on the Trail, the first book in the trilogy about the Folsom People. Follow the Author and Shadows on the Trail on facebook at Shadows on the Trail by John Bradford Branney. 

Now, please click the link below for the documentary:

  The Mysterious Folsom People (Click Link)

Ghosts of the Heart, the second book
in the Trilogy.




Click for John Bradford Branney Books

Winds of Eden, the third book
in the Trilogy.  

A Stone Cold Inspiration - SHADOWS on the TRAIL QUADRILOGY

Figure One - Alibates agatized dolomite discoidal biface found by the author on a ranch in

northern Colorado in 2010. The type of flaking and its association with four 

Folsom artifacts leads the author to believe this discoidal biface was

associated with the Folsom Complex.

The 4.1-inch long discoidal biface above was my inspiration for the prehistoric fiction novels in the Shadows on the Trail Quadrilogy. The prehistoric hunter who made this discoidal biface used it as an all-purpose tool for scraping animal hides, chopping wood, and cutting through animal bone and tendons. In addition, this nomadic hunter probably used this discoidal biface as a portable rock source if he found himself away from another source of rock. When he needed a new stone tool or projectile point, he simply hammered off a rock flake from the discoidal biface and made a new tool or projectile point, right there on the spot.

Figure Two - Concave profile makes
author believe that this discoidal
biface was on its way to becoming
an ultrathin knife form, another
tool type associated with the
 Folsom Complex.  

I found this discoidal biface in northern Colorado on a site where I have documented prehistoric artifacts dating back further than 13,000 years ago. This discoidal biface had something else interesting about it. The prehistoric hunter had made this discoidal biface from Alibates agatized dolomite, a rock type originating from the Panhandle of Texas, some five hundred miles to the south. This led me to believe that the prehistoric hunter made the discoidal biface in Texas and then transported it by foot to northern Colorado where he lost or misplaced it.

Finding Alibates in northern Colorado is not a common occurrence and this was the first discoidal biface I have ever found made from this rock type. Why did this prehistoric human carry this large piece of Alibates agatized dolomite all the way from Texas when there were numerous sources of rock within a stone’s throw (pardon the pun) of where I found this artifact? It appears that prehistoric humans were infatuated with the beauty of Alibates agatized dolomite. I can see why. Alibates had a wide distribution of artifacts made from the stuff so the prehistoric people were either carrying it with them over long distances or trading it to other people who carried it over a long distance.      

For those of you unfamiliar with Alibates, it is a very distinctive, multicolored rock with colors ranging from maroon to red and gray to black. Mix in some white and tan with banded shades of pink, blue, purple, and brown and Alibates exhibits a rainbow of colors. It is apparent that prehistoric hunters were fascinated with its bright and exotic colors and must have believed that the rock held some mystical power over the animals they hunted. Prehistoric people made some of the finest prehistoric artifacts in existence out of Alibates agatized dolomite.     

Figure Three - Side B of the discoidal biface.  Note the pedogenic
(secondary) carbonate deposit that has formed on this artifact.   

    

Of the thousands of artifacts that I have found, none of them captivates my imagination any more than this particular discoidal biface. I do not know why, it is just special to me. When I found this ancient discoidal biface from Texas, my mind went into overdrive thinking about who made it, what he or she was like, and how did it end up in northern Colorado.

The Shadows on the Trail Quadrilogy is my interpretation of how this particular artifact ended up in northern Colorado from Texas. 

The Shadows on the Trail Quadrilogy is the prehistoric adventure that defines all other prehistoric adventures! A small band of Paleoindians fight to survive in a violent and unpredictable world over 12,000 years ago. The late Pleistocene is a time of dramatic climate change, large mammal extinctions, and shifting alliances among those humans attempting to survive. 

Figure Four - The second edition of the Shadows on the Trail will be available before May 30, 2020. 

 Click to Join the Adventure     

                                              Shadows on the Trail
                               is also available at better booksellers.     

                                                  

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Prehistoric Man in Brazil Over 30,000 Years Ago?

Shadows on the Trail - the first book in
this prehistoric trilogy. Available
at better booksellers.

In my novel Shadows on the Trail, the Folsom People lived from 10,900 to 10,200 years ago in North America. Based
on current archaeological evidence, the earliest people in North America came around 15,000 years ago. Now, new archaeological evidence is proposing a 30,000 year old date for prehistoric humans in Brazil, based on cave drawings and artifacts found near a fire hearth. That is quite a leap backwards from what has been proposed in the past. 

I would expect a lot of pushback from other archaeologists on this evidence for humans in Brazil over 30,000 years ago. No matter what, it will be fun to watch the evidence go through its due diligence.

I hope you enjoy the article and Shadows on the Trail.      


Prehistoric Man in Brazil 30,000 Years Ago