20235504(en)/2 - Following the Materials. The Case of Quartz Debitage in the Final Holocene in the Sierras Pampeanas Australes, Argentina
FOLLOWING THE MATERIALS. THE CASE OF QUARTZ DEBITAGE IN THE FINAL HOLOCENE IN THE SIERRAS PAMPEANAS AUSTRALES, ARGENTINA
SIGUIENDO LOS MATERIALES. EL CASO DEL DEBITAGE EN CUARZO DURANTE EL HOLOCENO FINAL EN LAS SIERRAS PAMPEANAS AUSTRALES, ARGENTINA
José María Caminoa
In the archaeological contexts located in the southern Pampean Sierras of Argentina, quartz is the most commonly used lithic material to produce artifacts by knapping. It has been proposed that the lithic assemblage composition, characterized by the presence of few tool designs, the use of natural edges, and almost no retouching, may be linked to the medium or poor quality of this material, which makes it highly unpredictable in terms of size, abundance, and distributional continuity in the area. These interpretations, it has been suggested, stem from the projection of how recent western society understands technology as a way of relating people with the material world. This is based on the distinction and opposition between nature and culture, matter and mind, technology and society. This paper explores the way in which people in the past related to rocks, particularly quartz. The study is carried out from a theoretical perspective that attempts to overcome the opposition between nature and culture, based on the study of the reduction of quartz cores for the extraction of base forms.
