Lithic resource management in mountain environments: The Andean sector of Tierra Del Fuego

Abstract

Lithic resource management is one of the most important variables for the analysis of technological organization in hunter-gatherer societies. As essential resources for the manufacturing of tools that are themselves involved in processing and consumption of other types of resources, lithic raw materials constitute the starting point of all production processes. Although well studied in different environments, lithic resource management is difficult to analyze in mountain contexts, especially due to problems of site formation and archaeological visibility. In this paper, we present the research strategies adopted in order to study lithic resource management in mountains and piedmont areas in the Andean sector of Tierra del Fuego.We carried out a program of systematic surveys in different landscapes according to the methodology of distributional analysis and considering two different perspectives: location and characterization of raw material sources, and evaluation of land occupation by hunter-gatherer societies. Lithic materials were studied following a techno-functional perspective that includes the interrelated study of technology (raw materials and manufacturing techniques) and use wear (microscopic analysis). Then, results were confronted with those of excavated sites, which are located in different landscapes and landscape units and have different functionalities, such as campsites, ceremonial sites, etc. The results obtained confirm that local materials from secondary sources were the most used, although there are also some allochtonous good quality rocks, coming from sources located at different distances.This research let us adjust field methods for surveys in wooded mountain environments, as well as discuss some more general aspects regarding the exploitation of lithic resources in mountain regions. These landscapes may seem, at a first glance, as ideal provision places for hunter-gatherers because of abundance of lithic materials. However, these are not always available in terms of visibility and accessibility; on the other hand, not all rocks can be used for the manufacture of all types of tools. We can then propose that hunter-gatherer societies that highly depend on lithic resources seek to exploit outcrops where visibility and accessibility are high, but that also search for a variety of raw materials with different characteristics that allow manufacturing of different artifacts. From these data, it is possible to discuss mobility, seasonality and interaction of hunter-gatherer groups.