Morphological and Functional Variability on the Endscrapers in Cueva Maripe Site (Santa Cruz Province, Argentina)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to study the end-scrapers recovered from Cueva Maripe site (Santa Cruz Province, Argentina). These artifacts have been repeatedly recorded along the entire sequence of the site occupations; therefore, the following work is focused on the morphological and functional variability of these instruments, to discuss some expectations regarding the permanence of certain kinds of design over time. The results allowed identifying different activities developed with these tools along the Cueva Maripe occupations, as the work on bone, wood, and hide. However, the morphological variability identified was mainly related to different kinds of flakes or blades selection and on the particular features of the edges which would indicate some versatility in design and little functional specialization. These features would account for the permanence of these instruments in the site from the early Holocene, as well as at a regional level in the central plateau of Santa Cruz.