Provenance, manufacture and use of lithic materials at Laguna Cabeza de Buey 2 site (Central Pampa grasslands, Buenos Aires) during the Middle and Late Holocene

Abstract

In this article, we describe the results obtained from the techno-morphological and micro-wear analysis of lithic materials from the excavated sector of Laguna Cabeza de Buey 2 site. Here, we assess data concerning the acquisition, production, and use strategies of these resources, as developed by hunter-gatherer groups under two different palaeoenvironmental conditions. During the Middle Holocene, we identified a semi-arid environment with the presence of a small, brackish and shallow body of water that permitted ephemeral human occupations. The technological characteristics, the low diversity of typological groups, and types of materials processed by the tools —mainly wood and bone— lends support to the presence of temporary human occupations linked to a high mobility pattern. On the other hand, towards the end of the Late Holocene, the palaeoclimatic model indicates humid conditions similar to the present-day, with a more stable landscape —dunes fixed with grassland vegetation— and the presence of a permanent body of water. In this context, there was a much more intense occupation, reflected in the greater quantity and diversity of tools, the wide range of materials processed with them, including skin, wood, bone and non-woody vegetables, as well as the appearance of pottery.