Current archaeological research at the Nutria Mansa locality. New contributions from ground stone tools studies

Abstract

Research on Nutria Mansa archaeological locality has yielded important data for the study of Pampean hunt-er-gatherers that inhabited the maritime coast of Buenos Aires Province during the Late Holocene. This paper presents the current state of studies in this archaeological locality. New results on faunal analysis (taxonomic and anatomical determinations) and lithic analysis (mineral pigments, refitting, and raw material identification) are pre-sented. Ground stone tools (grinding tools, bola stones, hammerstones, anvils, abraders, and composite tools) are analyzed with particular emphasis. This assemblage was mainly made of local raw materials. Rocks from immedi-ate or long distance sources were also exploited. Most of the grinding tools and all bolas stones were modified by manufacture. The use of unmodified blanks was frequent between the hammerstones. Multiple used surfaces were frequently registered. Maintenance tasks were identified, as well as the presence of recycled artifacts. The analysis of the different archaeological evidences from Nutria Mansa locality shows multiple activities developed in camps of hunter-gatherers groups located close to the maritime coast of Buenos Aires Province.