Comparative studies of technological practices between coastal and mediterranean Patagonian hunter-gatherers groups

ALICIA CASTRO; MANUEL CUETO; PABLO AMBRÚSTOLO

Faro

Conferencia; International conference on use-wear analysis. Use Wear 2012; 2012

The principal objective of this presentation is to generate new data related to hunters and gatherers technological organization from two different areas in Patagonia: the Atlantic coast and the central plateau. This data will be used to discuss hunters and gatherers behavior. We believe hunters and gatherers in Patagonia, since the Early Holocene to Late Holocene have practiced the strategy to use different and complementaries environments for economical exploitation and settlement, developing home range of different amplitude. To reach these objective, comparative analysis will be performed between four cave sites, two of then are located at the central plateau, other two are situated a the Atlantic coast, both in the actual Santa Cruz province, Patagonia Argentina. This selection would allow us to work with a record with similar site formation and transformation process. Cave represents sites with an optimal stratigraphic structure and an optimal lithic artifacts as well as bone remains preservation. Caves represent a locus of optimal conditions for the cultural items discard and archaeological record preservation. In fact we have used only this kind of site to dismiss bias.