Use-wear and Residue Analysis of a Late Prehispanic Notched Bone Tool from Boyo Paso 2 (Sierras de Córdoba, Argentina)

BUC, N.; L. LÓPEZ; M. MEDINA

Iasi

Workshop; 11th Meeting of the Worked Bone Research Group of the International Council of Zooarchaeology; 2016

Faculty of Biology, University of Iaşi

The aim of the article is to provide a full morphological, use-wear and residue description of a notched and serrated working edge bone tool made of large-mammal scapula recovered at Boyo Paso 2 site (Sierras of Córdoba, Argentina). The bone tool came from a open-air archaeological floor associated with post-molds, cultigens, wild tree-fruits, lithic artifacts, large quantities of potsherds and three radiocarbon dates of 750 ± 70 BP, 1060 ± 50 BP and 1500 ± 80 years BP. The anatomical and taxonomic identification was made based on ungulate reference collection. Thereafter, morphological, physic and metrical analysis were developed to identify the functionality and manufacture process of the bone tool. The use-wear pattern and food residues (starch grains and phytoliths) present on the active edge were also described.The results show that the body part selected to fashion the tool was a camelid scapula. Microscopically visible traces and botanical residues analysis confirm that the bone tool was used to process tubers. The data provides several lights regarding the daily use of bone tool and the activities performed in the site by people with a mixed foraging and cultivation economy. Thus, the study of bone technology allows exploring a component of the material culture that has been relegated due to rarely preserved archaeologically.