Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene Perishable Technologies and the Peopling of the Andes

Summary

Accumulating evidence from Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene sites in the Americas attests to the antiquity and sophistication of perishable technologies such as cordage, netting, basketry, and textiles. Although the record of perishable industries is limited principally by factors of preservation, reevaluation of the available data for plant fiber-based technologies, and direct radiocarbon dates, continue to provide insights into the importance of these earliest perishable artifacts and their implications for the peopling of the Americas. This paper reviews the existing database relevant to understanding the earliest perishable artifacts from South America with particular reference to their role in the colonization of high altitude landscapes. Comparison with data from broadly contemporaneous sites at lower elevations provides important spatiotemporal context.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• The Role of High Altitude Landscapes in the Peopling of the New World

Keywords

Spatial Coverage