The relationship between Levallois and other lithic reduction methods in Southern Patagonia: the case of the Santa Cruz River

LUCAS VETRISANO; NORA V. FRANCO

París

Congreso; XVIII° CONGRES UISPP; 2018

UISPP

The employment of the Levallois Fintknapping method has been identied in the Santa Cruz river basin (Patagonia, Argentina) during the Late Holocene and can be related to a phase of effective occupation of the area during a humid period. During this period, the employment of the method is identied both in the Upper and Lower river basin, both in rock shelters and open air spaces, although always in low quantities. The origin of this method is not clear althoughthe dated evidences are older in the western part of the basin. The end of the use of Levallois coincides with a hiatus in the occupation of the western area. This abandonment, according to current genetic and cultural information, could be related to the entrance of a new population after an arid period, which is possible due to low population densities in Southern Patagonia.In this paper we explore the relationship between the Levallois and other reduction methods, both previous and contemporary, as a way of understanding if technological changes were abrupt or not. Information obtained will also be related to raw material acquisition and changes in the characteristics of the sites occupied.