Bolas, projectile points and hunting technologies in Southern Patagonia (Santa Cruz, Argentina) during the Late Holocene

FLORES CONI, J; AGNOLIN, A.; CASSIODORO, G.; GOÑI, R

Congreso; 13th ISKM; 2021

The Late Holocene in the central-western area of Santa Cruz province (Argentina) was a period where climatic and environmental changes occurred, specifically caused by a drop in regional humidity levels (Stine & Stine 1990). Towards 900 years BP a great drought is registered that coincides with the worldwide phenomenon known as the Medieval Climatic Anomaly. Archaeological investigations in the area have established a relation between these changes and modifications in the organization of hunter-gatherers who inhabited the region. Thus, a new configuration of the peopling process would have emerged as the diverse ecological sectors in the area where occupied differently. In this way areas with low altitude and less severe environmental conditions would have been occupied more permanently with year-round occupations and a residential use, while areas with higher altitudes would have been visited seasonally and used logistically, mainly with the specific aim of resources procurement (Goñi et al. 2000-2002, 2006, among others).In this context of climatic and environmental fluctuations and the resulting impact on the social organization of human groups, this work seeks to deepen the available knowledge regarding the specific characteristics of the strategies hunter-gatherers implemented related to technology and hunting. We aim to evaluate to what degree the environmental changes could have influenced the diverse modalities and alternatives of resources procurement. Therefore, we present a study based on the distribution, frequency and general characteristics of two technologies: projectile points, related to spears, darts and bow and arrow, and lithic bolas, used in boleadoras. Previous works were based on a smaller scale and sample. In this case, the area under study has an approximate area of 7500 km2 and includes varied environmental sectors. Chronologies range from 2190+50 years BP to the XXth century. Hence, the aim is to identify the characteristics of manufacture, transport, use and discard of these type of instruments in order to discuss the use of each of this technologies in a broad temporal and spatial scale.As for chronology, available dates for different sites with archaeological evidence correspond to periods before and after 900 years BP, and thus, will allow for a more precise discussion on the strategies hunter-gatherers implemented in moments of greater environmental severity.