Jimena Oría

OBSIDIANA VERDE EN LA ESTEPA FUEGUINA: UN HALLAZGO EN AMALIA 4

This paper describes the context of the surface site Amalia 4, regarding a particular data: a green obsidian projectile point that offers the opportunity to suggest a chronological framework, based on the technomorphological analysis. The chronological location of these contexts becomes a challenge for the study of regional archaeology. The finding of green obsidian in a site of the Fuegian steppe provides new data for the discussion on the spatial and chronological distribution of this raw material.

Site formation processes in relation to surface bone assemblages in the Fuegian steppe (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina)

The archaeological record of the northern steppe in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) is characterized by the occurrence of concentrations of archaeological material at the ground surface, coming from gullies and deflation hollows related to shallow lake coastal environments. This particular distribution becomes a challenge concerning the study of site formation processes, particularly in relation to the burial and exhumation of archaeological materials. Bone assemblages coming from three archaeological contexts (Tres Marías, Amalia 4 and Arturo 1) are analysed here, pointing to the features, damage and stability or movements that reveal their taphonomic histories. Geomorphological landscapes vary from each site, being represented by deflation hollows close to shallow lakes as well as gullies originating from the coast itself. The faunal assemblages are mostly dominated by Lama guanicoe bones. Variability in taxonomic composition, weathering profiles, mobility and stability of materials, as well as evidence of anthropic modifications, among other records, demonstrate the existence of different depositional events. The high variability observed suggests that several pre- and post-depositional processes were involved; thus, it results in complex taphonomic histories and low integrity that make their interpretation difficult in terms of human activities.

La Arcillosa 2: registro zooarqueológico de la ocupación humana durante el holoceno medio, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

El sitio La Arcillosa 2, ubicado sobre la margen derecha del rio Chico (Tierra del Fuego), a 2 km al oeste de la costa atlantica actual, representa un sitio multicomponente, datado entre 5500 y 3700 anos AP. La accion eolica permanente sobre este sitio fue perturbando la integridad de un conchero que contenia como especie mas abundante valvas de Mytilus edulis. El registro zooarqueologico proveniente del conchero comprende fundamentalmente ejemplares de moluscos y en menores proporciones huesos de vertebrados terrestres y marinos (guanaco, cetaceos, aves, tuco‐tuco, peces, canidos y pinnipedos) asociados a artefactos liticos de diversas materias primas. Se hallaron dos huesos largos de ave decorados con incisiones paralelas que cubren toda la circunferencia de los mismos y una cuenta osea.