Exploitation of aloctonous raw materials for the manufacture of micro-endscrapers in the central strip of Tierra del Fuego

DE ANGELIS, H.

Faro

Congreso; International conference on use-wear analysis. use-wear 2012; 2012

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

The existence of micro-endscrapers in archaeological assemblages from Tierra del Fuego is not an entirely exceptional feature, but it is fairly unusual. For this reason, we would like to present the materials from the central strip of the Big Island of Tierra del Fuego and discuss their special characteristics. Field research conducted since 2008 on the southern shore of Fagnano lake allowed to locate various archaeological sites; excavations were initiated in one of them (Kami 1 - site 1). One of the most remarquable elements is the existence of a concentration of endscrapers. Their sizes correspond mainly to the category known as micro-endscrapers; most of them were produced on a specific raw material, of which so far there are only references of an outcrop over 250 km north of Fagnano lake (in the basin of Cullen river, in the northern part of the Big Island).The aim of this communication is to present a preview of the results of the techno-morphological and functional analysis of these micro-endscrapers, and see how the presence of a non-local raw material can influence the characteristics of the lithic assemblage.