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Oldest arrowheads found in Central Texas now on public display

Scientists believe the artifacts, found just north of Austin, are the oldest sign of civilization in North America.

AUSTIN, Texas — Tools can tell you a lot about people, and the oldest ones ever found in Central Texas are on display right now in Austin at the Bullock Texas State History Museum.

The ancient arrowheads were found 40 miles north of Austin, and are believed to be the oldest sign of civilization in North America.

"I've seen many arrowheads before, but never this one," said 10-year-old Carson Peoples, who was visiting the museum with her family.

"It's an amazing discovery because it completely changes what we thought we knew about how early people came here," said Franck Cores, the curator for the Becoming Texas exhibit at the museum.

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The story of Texas starts more than 16,000 years ago with the discovery of projectile points.

The arrowheads were found at the Gault Archeological Site in Florence, Texas, and the digging was conducted by archaeologists based at Texas State University in San Marcos.

"The discovery pushes what we know for about 2,500 more years," Cores explained. "That's a really big change in what we know about how early people were here."

"It's kind of weird because people lived where I lived," Carson said.

Others like her are now able to see the oldest found projectile points in person.

"It's really neat because I wouldn't expect Texas to go back that far," Carson said.

"As we uncover more things, we learn more about the past that made what we are today," Cores explained.

If you want to check out the projectile points, the Bullock Museum is open from Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Sunday, the doors open at noon.

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