IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY OF THE LITHIC RESOURCES AVAILABILITY DURING THE PLEISTOCENE/HOLOCENE TRANSITION IN MACIZO DEL DESEADO, ARGENTINIAN PATAGONIA

The deep study of the variations of the environmental conditions or the landscape, it is considered excellent and indispensable to evaluate the variability in the use of the lithic resources on the part of the past societies that inhabited the central plateau of Santa Cruz, Argentina. An analysis of the availability is developed for lithic resources through the application of techniques of the geology that allow to estimate the potential distribution of resources. It interests us to study:

§ type of resources,

§ distribution,

§ density,

§ differential productivity,

§ seasonal availability,

§ and predictibility.

The approach will be described proposed the application of the Method of the Ordinates according to Simpson (Dangavs 1976) for the analysis of the distribution and characteristic of the outcrops. The information presented was recovered through recognition in the field, and petrographical analysis of lithic samples. It was compared with archaeological information generated by us. Some methodological difficulties were observed in this comparison and will be discussed.

The objective is to relate the study in hypothesis about tendencies in the use of the space and the resources during the stage of human colonization of the region of the Macizo del Desado, in the Argentinian Patagonia. The area under study is located in the northcentral region of the county of Santa Cruz being limited among the 47° 35 ' and 48° 00 ' of south latitude, and the 69° 15 ' and 67° 30 ' of longitude west. The archaeological localities under study are: Piedra Museo (AEP-1), 17 de Enero, Monumento Natural Bosques Petrificados, y Cerro Vanguardia.

Specific comparative analysis of the raw materials of Piedra Museo, Pleistocenic component, UE 4/5-UE6 (ca. 9.000–11.000 BP) (Miotti and Cattaneo 1997; 2002) will be analized. We propose differences in the strategies of production of instruments for the components of AEP-1 that we will examine. The same ones involve the use of different techniques and the use of different types of rocks for the manufacture of instruments designed for the same function or activity. As for the use of sources of rocks, we will discuss the predominance of local or microlocal raw materials and their implications.