Terminal Pleistocene Lithic Technology and Use of Space in Central Chile

Abstract

We synthesize lithic evidence from terminal Pleistocene sites in Central Chile (~31-34º S). Quebrada Santa Julia, Valiente, Taguatagua 1 and Taguatagua 2 sites show diverse assemblages, which are not fully understood by a traditional typological approach. This diversity can be better explained due to variations in discard rates, raw material availability, and site function. This approach allows the consideration of early hunter-gatherer occupations as integrated segments of a two-stage evolving use of space/mobility system.Keywords: Lithic technology, use of space, late Pleistocene, Central Chile. Sintetizamos la evidencia lítica de los sitios del Pleistoceno terminal en el centro de Chile (~31-34º S). Los sitios Quebrada Santa

Late Pleistocene to early Holocene high-quality quartz crystal procurement from the Valiente quarry workshop site (32°S, Chile, South America)

“…At a local scale, the basal date of Valiente does not statistically overlap the age of Quebrada Santa Julia; yet they are within the confident range attributable to penecontemporaneous occupations [33]. Despite the differences between these sites, Quebrada Santa Julia being a brief stay campsite where crystal quartz was an exotic toolstone and Valiente a quarry/workshop where the initial stages of procurement and manufacture were carried out, some observations on technological behaviors suggest they should be regarded as integrated.…”

“…A confident occupational range between 11,720–11,210 cal BP indicates it is contemporaneous with the latest chronological range of Valiente [33]. However, Taguatagua 2 record is remarkably different, given that is characterized by a series of ordered piles of bones of the incomplete remains of at least nine butchered gomphotheres along with few finished tools and with no indication of local lithic production [33, 45, 92]. Yet, in the case of Taguatagua 2, crystal quartz fishtail points were recorded either broken (N = 1) or in their finished state (N = 2).…”

“…Other sites in the region, as early as the evidence presented here (e.g. Taguatagua 1) have no quartz evidence, yet they provide a broader picture of differential activities across an evolving landscape [32, 33, 109]. In the broader South America, sites with fishtail-type points suggest that quartz crystal, along with other attractive raw materials, was selected based on attributes beyond knapping easiness or mechanical fracture properties, and that translucency and color may have played a key role in selection [24, 95, 110, 111].…”

The procurement and use of knappable glassy volcanic raw material from the late Pleistocene Pilauco site, Chilean Northwestern Patagonia

“…The predominance of small artifacts derived from rhyodacitic and dacitic vitreous pebbles and cobbles could be related to the rock quality, the informal knapping, and their abandonment in this nonresidential site. In the research of early South American sites, artifacts of reduced size appear rather frequently (Bueno, Schmidt Dias, & Steele, ; Collins, ; López, ; Méndez & Jackson, ; Núñez et al, ). The angles of the edges of simple or marginally retouched edge‐trimmed flake tools produce appropriate blades to make cuts or precise incisions, or to scrape (with wider angles; Table ).…”

“…The late Pleistocene peopling of South America, from the time of their entrance through the Bering Strait until arrival in Patagonia, has become one of the most challenging research questions in the field of human sciences (Anderson, ; Dillehay, and references therein). South American archeology has made important contributions studying the relationship between humans and their natural environment, especially at the beginning of the population on the continent (Aceituno, Loaiza, Delgado‐Burbano, & Barrientos, ; Borrero, ; Brook, Mancini, Franco, Bamonte, & Ambrústolo, ; Bryan & Gruhn, ; Dillehay, , , , ; López, ; Méndez & Jackson, ; Miotti & Salemme, ). One of the approaches for understanding this relationship is the study of lithic artifacts combining morphotechnological analyses with the identification of sources for raw materials (e.g., Giesso, Berón, & Glascock, ; Seelenfreund et al, ; Stern, ).…”