Use wear analysis at the Bahia Colorada site. Interface of bone and stone tool kits within early maritime societies in Southern Patagonia

Abstract

The Otway Sea and Strait of Magellan region in Southern Patagonia, witnessed the emergence of maritime lifeways roughly 7,000 to 5,600 years ago, leading to the establishment of the “Englefield Culture.” This culture is characterised by its bone and lithic technology, notably the use of green obsidian. However, existing data on the interplay between these tools and their functional aspects are limited, and such information is crucial for comprehending the origins of this maritime way of life and its specificity. To address this gap, we conducted a use-wear analysis of flaked lithics artefacts, pecked and polished stone tools and bone artefacts from the Bahia Colorada site, a residential camp of early canoeros associated to the Englefield culture. The results show a diverse range of tool uses, dominated by processing vegetable materials and butchering activities, but hide working, bone working and mineral processing are also present. The analysis emphasises the relationships between different tools and materials, including obsidian flake and bifaces tools, bone tools and pebble polished stones. Vegetable material working stands out, as it includes a variety of traceological signatures and a diversified but relatively standardised toolkit. Further comparisons with contemporary sites in the Otway Sea and the Strait of Magellan will offer insights into the settlement system of these societies.