Analysis of the Lithic Assemblage from Canchas Uckro (1100–800 BC), Eastern Ancash, Peru

Summary

Canchas Uckro is a large platform situated above the Puccha River, and approximately 25 km to the north of Chavín de Huántar. Recent excavations recovered a lithic assemblage consisting of 245 artifacts from stratigraphic layers dating between ca. 1100 and 800 BC. This poster describes the analysis of this lithic assemblage, including raw materials utilized, technological organization, and patterns of tool design in relation to possible subsistence activities. Expedient flakes from locally available sandstone and limestone comprise the majority of tool types, although finely made chipped quartz and ground slate points, as well as more formal tools like notches, drills, and scrapers, comprise over 5% of the assemblage. In addition, we discuss how the composition and organization of the assemblage complements the zooarchaeological analysis of faunal remains recovered from Canchas Uckro. We argue that the patterns within the Canchas Uckro lithic assemblage indicate a subsistence and processing strategy that largely centers on the exploitation of wild game. Finally, we consider the implications of these patterns for understanding the late Initial Period in highland Peru.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21414