Mid-Holocene occupation of the Dry Puna in NW Argentina: evidence from the Hornillos 2 rockshelter

This paper summarizes the results of the research carried out during a decade at the Hornillos 2 rockshelter, located at 4020m asl in the Dry Puna of Argentina. The human occupations in this site are bracketed between the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary and the mid-Holocene, challenging the idea of a...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Yacobaccio, Hugo Daniel, Morales, Marcelo Raul, Sola, Patricia, Samec, Celeste Tamara, Hoguin, Rodolphe Gregory, Oxman, Brenda
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2013
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/180730
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/180730
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:MID-HOLOCENE
PUNA
HORNILLOS 2 ROCK SHELTER
HUNTER GATHERER
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6.1
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6
Descripción
Sumario:This paper summarizes the results of the research carried out during a decade at the Hornillos 2 rockshelter, located at 4020m asl in the Dry Puna of Argentina. The human occupations in this site are bracketed between the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary and the mid-Holocene, challenging the idea of a widespread abandonment of the Andes highlands during mid-Holocene due to extreme arid conditions (i.e. the ". silencio arqueológico" or archaeological silence hypothesis). Nine occupational levels have been recognized in the timed span at the site, the result of hunter-gatherer activities carried out in a highly oscillating and changing environment.Here we present the mean trends and patterns observed in the full set of lines of inquiry applied in the site: lithic evidence, zooarchaeological analysis, rock art, stratigraphic and spatial analysis, and isotopic data. The outcomes of these studies, together with the site location features, known raw materials sources and regional archaeological evidence, indicate that hunter-gatherer groups reduced their residential mobility, and increased the intensity of their occupations and the rate of technological innovations in the arid and unstable mid-Holocene landscapes.