Abstract

MATARRESE, Alejandra B.  and  POIRE, Daniel G.. Rocks For Grinding: Lithic Raw Material Provenience Studies Of Grinding Technology, Interserrana Area Of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Intersecciones antropol. [online]. 2009, vol.10, n.1, pp.121-140. ISSN 1850-373X.

Grinding tools frequently comprise great volumes of rocks transported to the archaeological sites of the Interserrana area of Buenos Aires Province. The results from thin section and X-ray diffraction analyses of a sample of grinding artifacts manufactured from sedimentary and metamorphic raw material are presented in this paper in the context of recent systematic studies in relation to these tools. In addition, characteristics of blanks and weights of part of the sample studied are considered. These data are discussed in relation to provenience and exploitation strategies of the lithic raw material used for grinding tools. The use of rocks available on the Pampean ranges of Tandilia and Ventania and minor outcrops in the Interserrana area were identified for the studied assemblages. The transport of these raw materials implied different procurements efforts (of local, middle and long distance). The rocks selected for the production of grinding tools had the petrographic characteristic of a high abrasive capacity. In some cases, natural blanks have been selected for use without any previous modification. These data comprise a preliminary approach to the management of lithic resources for the manufacture and/or use of grinding tools by prehispanic Pampean hunter-gatherers during the Late Holocene.

Keywords : Hunter-gatherers; Interserrana Bonaerense Area; Grinding tools; Lithic raw materials.

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