Technological and social strategies for the acquisition and exploitation of long distance lithic raw materials in the Central Pampean Dunefields of Argentina

MESSINEO, PABLO GERONIMO; SANTOS VALERO, FLORENCIA

Tarragona

Congreso; 13th International Symposium on Knappable Materials; 2021

The Central Pampean Dunefields are located in the central-eastern sector of the Pampa grasslands of Argentina and have an occupational range that goes from the Early Holocene to historical times. One of the main characteristics of this area is the lack of lithic material sources. For this reason, it provides an excellent case of study to examine and discuss the main technological and social strategies that guided the selection, acquisition, exploitation and conveyance of lithic raw materials during the Holocene. In this presentation, we will analyze eight lithic assemblages from four archaeological sites located in different sectors of the area: Laguna de los Pampas (Middle Holocene), Laguna Cabeza de Buey 2 (Middle and Late Holocene), Laguna Chica 1 (Late Holocene), and Médano Santa Clara (Late Holocene). There had been identified at least 15 diverse stones in the lithic assemblages that come from lithic outcrops and quarries located in the Pampas and neighboring regions; but in all cases, these lithic raw materials were transported between 120 and 500 km far from the site. In order to make progress on this theme, we consider several variables (e.g., frequency, weight, and cortex index for each lithic raw material, types of tools and cores, among others) for the analysis of the provisioning strategies of the main raw materials exploited in each site. This information will allow us to establish if the distances between the sites and each outcrop, the qualities of knapping rocks, the access to the quarries, the mobility and social interactions of hunter-gatherers groups during the Holocene influenced the way each rock was exploited.