Obsidian provenance during the transition to food production in Antofagasta De La Sierra (Southern Argentinean Puna, South-Central Andes), 4500-1100 BP

HOCSMAN, SALOMÓN; ESCOLA, PATRICIA SUSANA; BABOT, MARÍA DEL PILAR

Barcelona

Simposio; International Symposium On Knappable Materials ?On the Rocks?; 2015

Universidad de Barcelona

This paper attempts to obtain a close understanding of obsidian procurement and distribution during the transition from hunter-gatherers to agro-pastoralist societies (ca.4500-1100 AP) in Southern Argentinean Puna. Obsidian regional circulation in a high elevation desert environment emphasizing differential distribution and use of this raw material, are discussed. Furthermore, this obsidian research allows support the occurrence of exchange networks based on use of extra-regional different obsidian sources located in Northern Argentinean Puna.The Argentinean Puna is a natural continuation of the Peruvian?Bolivian high mountain plateau and is part of the Atacama Puna. From an environmental point of view, the Puna is a high desert biome characterized by an arid and cold climate, intense solar radiation due to the height, ample day/night thermal range, poor summer rains, low atmospheric pressure and marked seasonality. For this study, non-destructive elemental analysis of obsidian artifacts was conducted using two different X-ray fluorescence spectrometers (ED-XRF). All obsidian samples (112) come from archaeological sites, localized in the Argentinean Puna at the Antofagasta de la Sierra basin (Catamarca, Argentina), with stratified archaeological remains. Sixty obsidian samples are, on one hand, from four rock-shelters which are residential bases with late hunter-gatherer occupations dated ca. 4500-3000 BP. On the other hand, fifty-two obsidian samples proceed from two open air sites which also are residential bases but with consolidate agro-pastoral contexts dated ca.2100-1100 BP. The results obtained indicate differential patterns of procurement and use of obsidian during the considered time span. First, between 4500-3000 BP, all five regional obsidian sources were used by hunter-gatherers in transition to food production but with differential use intensity and showing a preferential utilization of the northern regional sources, distant 60 to 100 km from the sites. Second, between 2100-1100 BP, we clearly note a different pattern in the use of the different types of obsidian. Specifically, our data show that one of the northern sources was the most utilized with small proportions of obsidian supplied by two sources located 75 km south and 30 km east from the sites.