20225404(en)/6 - Artifactual Distributions and Use of Space During the Late Holocene in the Lake Cardiel Basin (Southern Patagonia, Santa Cruz, Argentina)

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ARTIFACTUAL DISTRIBUTIONS AND USE OF SPACE DURING THE LATE HOLOCENE IN THE LAKE CARDIEL BASIN (SOUTHERN PATAGONIA, SANTA CRUZ, ARGENTINA)

DISTRIBUCIONES ARTEFACTUALES Y USO DEL ESPACIO DURANTE EL HOLOCENO TARDÍO EN LA CUENCA DEL LAGO CARDIEL (PATAGONIA MERIDIONAL, SANTA CRUZ, ARGENTINA)

Agustín Agnolin

Previous studies of the settlement process of the steppe of Central-West Santa Cruz (Southern Patagonia, Argentina) have indicated concentrations of local hunter-gatherer populations in the Lake Cardiel basin. This process has been dated to the Late Holocene, and is especially associated with the Medieval Climatic Anomaly. The basin’s archaeological record is characterized by its variability, especially in the distribution of technology. This variability is articulated in geomorphological units with dissimilar environmental characteristics. On this basis, a differential and complementary use has been proposed, mainly within a collector mobility strategy. However, this proposal was largely developed according to surface materials without a clear chronology, so the pattern and the contemporaneity of these occupations are debatable. In this paper, this model is evaluated with a substantially larger sample and using a variety of indicators to provide the archaeological record with a chronological framework. We analyze variability in the distribution and composition of lithic technology and discuss its implications within the regional settlement process, during a period marked by climatic/environmental changes.

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