Jimena Alberti

DIVERSIDAD EN EL INSTRUMENTAL LÍTICO Y USO DEL ESPACIO DURANTE EL HOLOCENO MEDIO Y TARDÍO EN LA COSTA NORTE DEL GOLFO SAN MATÍAS (RÍO NEGRO, ARGENTINA)

The Northern coast of San Matias Gulf presents a large number of archaeological loci, representative of two different time span within the model of space use and marine resources consumption proposed for the region (Favier Dubois et al. 2009). The lithic artifacts and the lithic raw materials that were used in each present chronological and geographic differences that are presented in this paper. Using statistical analysis, we have established significative differences related to the distribution of instrumental classes in the previously defined temporal blocks. The results suggest that diversity would have been structured

New Results Concerning Expanded Networks of Obsidian Procurement in San Matías Gulf, Río Negro, Patagonia, Argentina

ABSTRACT In this article we characterize the obsidian types present along the San Matías Gulf coast through geochemical analyses and we perform a techo-morphological analyses of the recovered artifacts. Also, we present a new obsidian type that has been found for the first time in the Atlantic coast of Patagonia. By this means we hope to better evaluate trends in the circulation and use of this raw material in the San Matías Gulf during the Middle and Late Holocene. As a result, we propose that there is a differential distribution between northern and southern Patagonia and among coastal sites (black and gray obsidians). This disparity could be mainly related to spatial distance, or to different mobility patterns of the human groups or to differential availability of the sources during the year. Growing evidence also suggests different raw material circulation.

Stone Tool Manufacture Strategies and Lithic Raw Material Exploitation in Coastal Patagonia, Argentina: A Multivariate Approach

This paper seeks to characterize strategies of artifact manufacture and lithic raw material exploitation along San Matias Gulf coast, Argentina, using multifactorial and cluster analysis. Multifactorial analysis is a relatively new method that has yet to be used for archaeological analysis; it has the advantage that it allows us to describe data using different groups of qualitative or quantitative variables at the same time. Additionally, cluster analysis was conducted on multifactorial axis in a bid to identify grouping patterns. The results obtained from the combination of these two methods suggest that they may be useful in characterizing technological strategies in the study area. Furthermore, they may also be a powerful exploratory and characterization tool able to generate explanations at low spatial scales. The application of these methods on San Matias Gulf study case suggests that along the western and northern coasts of this Gulf the most important variables in determining differences in resource use were the fragmentation ratio and lithic raw materials used in artifact manufacture.

Análisis tecno-morfológico, morfométrico y de materias primas de los esferoides líticos de la costa del Golfo San Matías (Río Negro, Argentina) / TECHNO-MORPHOLOGICAL, MORPHOMETRICS AND RAW MATERIALS ANALYSES OF LITHIC SPHEROIDS FROM SAN MATÍAS GULF

In this paper we present an initial characterization of the sample of bolas recovered in archaeological sites located at San Matias Gulf coast (Rio Negro province) dated in the Middle and Late Holocene. For this purpose different methods of metric, morphometric (shape analysis) and raw materials analyses, as well as a techno-morphological characterization of the artifacts, were applied. The results indicate the existence of two large groups of bolas: one is integrated by artifacts of medium-small size and irregular outline, which tend to a quadrangular shape with a flat side view; and other group of artifacts which are larger and with a more spherical shape. It was also possible to establish the use of mainly local raw materials for the manufacture of these instruments, which would have affected the weight differences we detected between the bolas recovered in both portions of the coast (North and West). Finally, the presence of formatization traces in most of the sample and the low presence of pieces with polish over their entire surfaces, would indicate a low investment of energy put into the final manufacture of these artifacts.

ANÁLISIS MORFOMÉTRICO Y TECNOLÓGICO DE ARTEFACTOS BIFACIALES: UN CASO DE ESTUDIO DEL GOLFO SAN MATÍAS (PROVINCIA DE RÍO NEGRO, ARGENTINA)

Bifacial technology has many characteristics which are related to efficiency. Because it is a curated technology, it allows, among other things, to extend th...