a Mesolithic culture of North America (eighth-sixth millennia B.C.), which replaced the Folsom culture on the Great Plains and in the Southwestern USA. It was discovered in the 1920’s in the vicinity of Yuma, Arizona, by the American scholars P. Anderson and G. Anderson. The Piano culture is characterized by stone points, which were part of throwing weapons. The points are mainly triangular and leaf-shaped, with a straight, concave, or convex base. Generally found at hunting campsites, they represent the main type of weapon used by ancient bison hunters. Certain elements of the culture were retained in the Archaic culture (sixth and fifth millennia B.C.), which succeeded the Piano culture.