Technological change during final Mid-Holocene and early Late Holocene (ca. 5000-2000 years BP) in Barrancas (Jujuy province, Argentina)

Abstract

The archaeological evidence from the end of the Middle Holocene and the beginning of the Late Holocene (ca. 5000-2000 years BP) shows a period of great changes. These appear to be the main result of low residential mobility occupations and subsistence strategies based in the specialized hunting of camelids, their domestication and further herding. Even though there is no consensus over the relative importance of each adopted strategy (hunting vs. herding) during this temporal sequence, several and relevant changes can be observed, related to many social spheres. In this paper, we present the particular changes over lithic technology during the temporal sequence proposed through two sites analysed from Barrancas: Laguna Media 7 and Morro Blanco. First, we will clarify the concept of technical system and describe the operative chains observed in both sites. This context is suitable for the topic addressed in this paper, since the chronological difference between both sites (ca. 3400-3200 years BP) is almost contemporary with the appearance in the region of the domesticated camelid Lama glama. Thus, we explain the changes in lithic technology and their relation with the other raw materials used in different technologies from a qualitative characterization. Afterwards this change is characterized by performing separate Chi square analysis from the quantification between both sites of: transformative and prehensile techno-units, shaping and knapping methods. We detect some continuities related to the operative chains, but some changes as well, with the disappearance of blade knapping. Finally, we conclude that the changes during this time period are mainly related with the prehensile and hafting system, associated to a broader regional technological change, influenced by the circulation and exchange of goods, knowledge and people.