Microscopic techniques on lithic, bone and shell materials. The analysis of Late Holocene samples from theLa Plata Basin, Argentina

SILVESTRE, R; BUC, N., LOPONTE, D. Y ACOSTA, A

Simposio; Rock and Roll: 13th International Symposium on Knappable Materials; 2021

Over the past fifteen years, lengthy and continued microscopic and experimental programs have been developed in order to understand the dynamics that people and materials had in the past in the La Plata Basin. Both horticulturalist and hunter-gatherer groups used clay, bone, lithic and shell as raw materials for a variety of tools during the late Holocene. Nonetheless, we frequently encountered difficulties in the application of study-protocols, mainly in the microscopic techniques and the definition of use-wear traces relevant to define patterns in these different raw materials. Here, we discuss the relevance of having a common language in use-wear analysts but recognizing the specificities of each raw material using bone, lithic and shellassemblages of different archaeologicalsites as a reference.We evaluate particularities in the use of optical devices, magnification and definition of critical traces. As a result, we note that differences among materials can be addressed in each variable of analysis, and they are related with the nature of the material under study. Results show that lithic and shell pieces being mostly flat, and brittle develop polishes as critical features that should be seen under high magnifications, conversely rounded and plastic materials such as bone and antler show striations as indicators of use-wear that are better seen under lower magnifications.