Xerophytic Forest Record of the Pleistocene/Holocene Transition and Use of Wood Resources by Early Human Groups in the Eastern Tandilia Range, Argentina

Abstract

This contribution analyzes the charcoal records found in archaeological sites dating to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition (9032 ± 30 - 10,672 ± 56 radiocarbon years ago) located in the eastern Tandilia Range, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The archaeological charcoal identified for the Pleistocene/Holocene transition were Celtis ehrenbergiana, Salix humboldtiana, Schinus sp., Colletia sp., Baccharis sp., and Senecio sp. Charcoals with high caloric values and long combustible duration were an excellent source of heat and were probably used by hunter-gatherers for heating, cooking, and lighting. The presence of xerophytic forests at least from ca. 10,000 radiocarbon years ago in the eastern Tandilia Range were inferred by the record of C. ehrenbergiana found in four archaeological sites during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. During this period, vegetation developed under a cold arid to semi-arid climate.