Another Traveler Design In Southern Patagonia: Long Edges (Knives and Side-Scrapers) Manufactured on Bifacial Blanks

Abstract

New information is presented on the particular design of side-scrapers and knives, referred to as long-edge artifact on biface (LEAB), and its spatial and temporal distribution in southern Patagonia is explored. The analysis considers morphological and technological characteristics, the presence of four specific attributes (overshot, platform, end thinning, and domes), and functional information at a microscopic level. A total of 101 lithics originating from academic investigations, private collections, and environmental impact assessments from different locations around the Santa Cruz province (Patagonia, Argentina) are studied. The distribution of LEAB reaches different sectors of steppe and mountain forest areas from at least 7000 years BP and into the late Holocene. In addition, LEAB manufacture among inland hunting-gathering populations and between them and maritime hunter-gatherers is recorded. These results support the transmission of information about LEAB design circulation across Southern Patagonia.