Tecnología ósea en la Depresión del Río Salado (provincia de Buenos Aires)

Abstract

Hunter-gatherer-fishers inhabited the wetlands of the Rio Salado Depression (Argentine Pampas) during the Late Holocene ( ca . 2400 to 400 years BP); they manufactured pottery and developed different strategies of acquisition and manufacture of bones and teeth for use as tools. The economy of these societies was based mainly on exploiting small-sized species, such as coypu (a rodent), fishes, as well as continental and aquatic birds. Two species of deer were complementary resources. Twenty-five bones from the sites LG1 (n= 4) and LG5 (n= 21) that show indications of human manipulation  were subjected to a techno-morphological analysis. The following parameters were considered: material, type of fracture, dimensions and presence/absence of marks; the effects of taphonomic agents and processes on bone surfaces are evaluated as well. Human modification on the bones of several taxa were identified: Aves (n= 4), Rallidae (n= 1), Mammalia (n= 2), Cervidae (n=4), Ozotoceros bezoarticus (n=8), Blastoceros dichotomus (n= 1), Rodentia (n= 1), Rodentia cf. Caviinae (n= 3) and Myocastor coypus (n= 1). On this basis, we characterized the Morphological Groups as, tubes, bevelled tools, points (channelled, semi-channeled, blunt-ended), and those tools not allocated to these groups, were designated as Undetermined. The potential function of these tools is discussed, we propose that bone technology was part of the integral use of faunal resources in the area.