Abstract

VITORES, Marcelo. Unfired pottery in northwestern patagonia: a children's industry?. Intersecciones antropol. [online]. 2012, vol.13, n.1, pp.281-294. ISSN 1850-373X.

This paper describes and explains a small assemblage of crude pottery from the Epullán Grande cave, on the Neuquen side of the Limay river basin. This kind of pottery is an unusual find, not just because of the lack of firing, but also due to its morphology and forming technique. Attributes indicate that these artifacts could be children's products. Therefore, after a short discussion on the use of ethnographic analogy, an appeal is made to expectations developed from the ethnoarchaeological literature, and enhanced with the region's etnohistorical data. Morphological and technological analyses partially corroborate these expectations, but the interpretation of the artifacts is discussed in the light of the local archaeological chronology and similar evidence from other sites in North Patagonia.

Keywords : Northern Patagonia; Pottery; Hunter-gatherers; Archaeology of childhood.

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