Local and nonlocal rocks: technological strategies and raw material management. Hunter-gatherer mobility for mid-Holocene groups of eastern Tandilia range (Argentina)

Abstract

This work analyzes the lithic artifactual assemblages from four archaeological sites excavated in caves and rockshelters located in the eastern Tandilian mountain range. The sites are dated between 5500 and 4800 years BP. The technological results show that the human occupants of these shelters followed a technological management pattern, combining expedient strategies on local raw materials together with curation and maximization strategies for regional and extra-regional rocks. During this period, climatic conditions were characterized by general fluctuations that fragmented the landscape, although paleoclimate data also suggests that the eastern Tandilia mountain range operated as an ecological refuge for plant and animal species. In this context, it is suggested that human occupations were part of a logistical mobility strategy where hunter-gatherer groups took advantage of mountain ecological patches with natural resource concentrations.