Variability of triangular non-stemmed projectile points of early hunter gatherers of the Argentinian Puna

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis that addresses the morphological variability of triangular unstemmed projectile points from archaeological contexts that belongs to Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene in the Puna of Argentina. The sites considerated here are Quebrada Seca 3 (Martinez 2007) in the Puna of Catamarca and Inca Cueva 4 (Aschero 1984, Martinez 1997) and Alero Caído 2 (Calisaya 2008) in the Puna of Jujuy and its eastern edge. Thus, morphological variations on tips, blade edges, bases and forms of junction between blades and bases, and dimensional variability, are explored. The methodological perspective consists in the application of criteria of macroscopic descriptive morphology (Aschero (1975, 1983). In this context, of major importance is the identification of basic, transformed and maintained designs (Aschero 1988, Martinez 2003) within the assemblage of projectile points studied, in order to identify the original design and to establish their changes due to maintenance and/or re-working (Hocsman 2009). On this basis, the early spread of this particular design of projectile point is discussed, and its implications in terms of movement-transmission of technique and typological information in the Puna area are stated.