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In this paper, the analysis of a radiocarbon database of the North Coast of Santa Cruz (central Patagonia, Argentina), is presented. Dated archaeological samples were obtained from 56 different types of archaeological sites (open-air -residential sites and burials-, and also rock shelters). The objective of this paper is assessing the continuities and discontinuities in the chronological signal of the area and identifying tendencies along the Holocene. The database currently contains 75 radiocarbon dates falling between ca. 8000 and 300 BP. The radiocarbon data base provides information on the chronological, spatial and contextual variability of the archaeological record of North Coast of Santa Cruz. By means of different analysis of sum of probabilities, we present three different chronological moments of human use of the coast and intermediate zone can be identified. A first moment is represented by early evidence of settlement during Middle Holocene. A second moment corresponds to a hiatus between ca. 5800 and ca. 3900 BP without archaeological evidence. Finally, a third moment is where an increasing of chronological signal occurred, related to greater artifactual variability and an increase in the intensity of human settlement in the Patagonian region. The causes that could have influenced in the discontinuity of the chronological signal of the study area, and the characteristics of the different moments identified are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper compares two zooarchaeological sub-samples, each of which comes from a different area (North chamber and South chamber) of Maripe Cave Site (Santa Cruz, Argentina). In previous papers, each chamber was interpreted as a particular microenvironment based on their specific environmental and geoarchaeological features. In both areas, hunting–gatherer society occupations were recorded since the Pleistocene–Holocene transition to late Holocene. This paper investigated and discussed the different agents and processes involved in the formation of each assemblage, with the aim of assessing the taphonomic variability between the two areas and discussing their integrity. Bone specimens of Lama guanicoe (guanaco), the most common species on the site, were analyzed. The bone surfaces of specimens were studied by naked eye observations and binocular magnifying to 10×, which allowed recognition of different patterns of modification. The representation of guanaco anatomical units was also discussed at each chamber according to economic utility and BMD values. The results indicate that while there was involvement of different natural agents and processes acted differently in each sector, the main accumulating agent in both sets was human. Differences between both chambers are observed in the representation of anatomical units, in processing marks, in the conservation of specimens, and in the number and intensity performed by each natural agents and process in each sector. Each chamber indicates a different taphonomic history: the North Chamber records greater conservation and archaeological integrity, while the South Chamber shows a more complex taphonomy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the Deseado Massif there are many stratified archaeological sites located in caves and rockshelters. The cultural sequences, proposed in the past century, include an occupational hiatus and cultural changes that were developed on the basis of large tools from archaeological sites, without debitage analysis. The aim of this paper is to review the current debate on lithic technology and human occupations of this area during the Mid-Holocene, integrating new data, as well as the latest environmental interpretations. The contribution of new information from blade and bifacial technologies is central to discussion of the models proposed by other authors. The new baseline information generated in the last decade, allow original interpretations. The evidence of coexistence between blade and bifacial technologies during the Mid-Holocene constitutes the main contribution of this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper discusses provisioning strategies of lithic raw materials at Maripe Cave site (province of Santa Cruz, Argentina). The archaeological sequence represents different moments of human occupation at the cave and in the study area, which show different lithic technologies. The morpho-typological analysis of the lithic cores recovered contributes to our knowledge about the strategies related to procurement and provisioning of the lithic raw materials used for artifacts production. We identified different raw materials from the analyses of lithic cores and other artifacts from the site. This allowed analyzing trends in selection and provisioning processes and interpreting the mobility strategies of the groups that inhabited the Deseado Massif since the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. Trends suggest that, during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition and early Holocene, abandoned cores from Maripe Cave mainly indicate people provisioning strategies. During middle Holocene, the cores shows blades extractions and raw material use from long distance, discarded with remaining potential utility. Finally, at late Holocene the cores were mainly prepared for blade extractions. Our results do not fully agree with Kuhn's proposal, probably due to both the theoretical polarization between the provisioning strategies and the palimpsest effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]