Tiny Arrow Points, Bone-Tipped Projectiles, and Foraging During the Late Prehispanic Period (Sierras of Córdoba, Argentina)

Medina, Matías E.; Balena, Imanol

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-61187-3_2

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…As observed ethnographically, hunting often started by wounding the prey with arrows and ended with stabbing or clubbing the wounded animal with a thrusting spear or wooden club (see Hitchcock & Bleed, 1997; Zhilin, 2017). Something similar may have occurred during the hunting events of the Late Prehispanic Period, when foraging for wild resources played a key role in the economy (Medina et al, 2016, 2018, 2019; Medina & Balena, 2021; Recalde & López, 2017). Judging from faunal remains, Lama cf.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Camelids and deers supplied Late Prehispanic people with meat for food, but also skin, antler, bones, and sinew for tool manufacturing. The camelid mortality profiles and the abundance of tiny lithic arrowpoints indicate hunting all year round using the bow and arrow (Medina & Balena, 2021), but darts and spears also played an important role during hunting activities, firstly by wounding the prey which were finally killed with a bone‐tipped spear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Late Prehispanic Period of Sierras of Córdoba, Argentina (~1220–330 cal BP) was not an exception, and bone tools constitute one of the most numerous artifact group types generated by people who were neither wholly foragers nor wholly farmers, involved in what Smith (2001) defined as low‐level food production (see Medina et al, 2016). There, excavations revealed a rich and highly developed bone industry, which played a very important role in subsistence strategies and everyday life (Ameghino, 1885; Berberián, 1984; González, 1943, 1949; Laguens & Bonnín, 2009; Marcellino et al, 1967; Medina et al, 2014; Medina & Balena, 2021; Medina & Pastor, 2021; Outes, 1911; Serrano, 1945). The worked bones include various types of purported hunting or warfare weapons such as arrowheads, knives and daggers, or bleeders (Berberián, 1984; González, 1943; Medina & Balena, 2021; Medina & Pastor, 2021; Serrano, 1945).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bone spearheads from the Late Prehispanic Period of Sierras of Cordoba (Argentina)

Medina

Sario

Pastor

2022

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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The archaeological record of the Late Prehispanic Period of Sierras of Córdoba, Argentina (~1220–330 cal BP) has revealed a rich and highly developed bone industry. The worked bones are purported to include various types of hunting or warfare weapons such as arrowheads, knives and daggers, or bleeders. However, most of the latter two tools can now be interpreted as spear or spear‐thrower dart heads based on ethnographic and macro‐wear studies. Thus, the aim of this article is to present the techno‐typological and functional analysis carried out on the bone spearheads collected at the San Roque archaeological locality (Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina). Spearheads are defined as massive and strong pointed tools that are suitable for hafting to a shaft about 15 mm or more in diameter, which corresponds to ethnographic spears or darts. The tools were assigned to the Late Prehispanic Period based on their similarity with those recovered in neighboring sites and regions during the last 1,500 years. The study supports the contention that Late Prehispanic people developed a variable and highly sophisticated set of weapons suitable for taking any animal resource when encountered, minimizing the cost of failure in the capture of the prey they depended on. However, warfare and the use of spears in raids against other groups need to be taken into account because evidence of physical interpersonal violence increases in the Late Prehispanic Period. Finally, it is proposed that museum collections can provide valuable data for archaeologists, mostly when artifacts with low frequency in modern excavations are the focus of the analysis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bone spearheads from the Late Prehispanic Period of Sierras of Cordoba (Argentina)

Medina

Sario

Pastor

2022

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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“…La muestra está constituida por 40 núcleos y 1034 desechos de talla, entre lascas enteras y lascas fragmentadas con talón. Por otro lado, el número de artefactos formatizados asciende a 112 (ver Medina et al, 2019aMedina et al, , 2019cBalena, 2020;Medina y Balena 2021).…”

Section: Materiales Y Métodosunclassified

“…Arqueología y Antropología Surandinas 2021, 67: e4411 durante la estación productiva (octubre-abril) por grupos que combinaban cultivos, caza-recolección y patrones de uso flexible del espacio (Figura 1). La información sobre los artefactos líticos tallados ha sido en gran parte publicada y solo será contemplada en forma secundaria (Medina et al, 2019a(Medina et al, , 2019cBalena, 2020;Medina y Balena, 2021). El estudio parte del supuesto de que los núcleos y desechos de talla aportan datos claves sobre las estrategias de producción lítica llevadas a cabo en el lugar de descarte (Holdaway et al, 2010), proveyendo información relevante sobre el abastecimiento de rocas y el proceso de reducción y producción de formas base (Andrefsky, 1998;Clarkson, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Horticultura, movilidad y tecnología lítica

Balena

Medina

2021

Estud. atacameños

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En este artículo se analizan los núcleos, desechos y artefactos líticos recuperados en el sitio arqueológico Boyo Paso 2 (Sierras de Córdoba, Argentina), un asentamiento a cielo abierto interpretado como un campamento base ocupado durante la estación productiva (octubre-abril) por grupos que combinaban cultivos, caza-recolección y patrones de uso flexible del espacio. El objetivo principal es presentar los resultados y contribuir a la caracterización de la organización de la tecnología lítica durante el Período Prehispánico Tardío (1500-350 AP), cuya información sugiere que la incorporación de cultivos no restringió la movilidad estacional ni el tiempo invertido en la caza-recolección. Los datos apuntaron hacia la existencia de un cierto componente tecnológico conservado entre los grupos tardíos, que, junto con la expeditividad, regía la organización de la tecnología. El aprovechamiento intensivo de aquellas rocas de mejor calidad para la talla y menos abundantes en el paisaje, en un contexto dominado por estrategias tecnológicas expeditivas, da particular relevancia a los resultados obtenidos, en especial para comprender la amplitud de respuestas tecnológicas en casos en los que la adopción de cultivos no necesariamente derivó en una agricultura sedentaria, un patrón observado etnográficamente pero difícil de delimitar desde la cultura material.

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