20225402(en)/2 - “What they Call Distance, that Will Have to Be Explained to Me”. Frequency, Geochemical Characterization and Circulation of Obsidian Artifacts from the Sarmiento Basin (Chubut, Argentina)
“WHAT THEY CALL DISTANCE, THAT WILL HAVE TO BE EXPLAINED TO ME”. FREQUENCY, GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND CIRCULATION OF OBSIDIAN ARTIFACTS FROM THE SARMIENTO BASIN (CHUBUT, ARGENTINA)
“A QUÉ LE LLAMAN DISTANCIA, ESO ME HABRÁN DE EXPLICAR”. FRECUENCIA, CARACTERIZACIÓN GEOQUÍMICA
Eduardo Moreno, Santiago Peralta González y Alberto Enrique Pérez
We present new data on the geochemical characterization, frequency and circulation of obsidian artifacts from the Sarmiento basin (Chubut, Argentine Patagonia). The study area is far and equidistant from known obsidian sources in southern and center-southern Patagonia. There is a low frequency of obsidian for all assemblages, coherent with expectations based on the frequency/distance to source ratio, and based on the structure of the lithic resources, which offers other good quality knapping raw materials close to the basin. The geochemical analysis indicated that the highest frequency occurs in the southern area, particularly of varieties from the Pampa del Asador (PDA), and a lesser frequency occurs in the central-south. Using the Geographic Information System (GIS), we estimated three types of distances between the basin and obsidian sources: Euclidian, optimal roads, and roads used in the 19th century according to ethnohistoric documents. In all cases, the closest source is Pampa del Asador in the southern sector. Nevertheless, the results indicate an overrepresentation of these obsidian artifacts in relation to distance. This suggests a more intense connection between the hunter-gatherers of the Sarmiento basin and the southern sector.
