Maritime Lifeways and Technological Choices of the Englefield Culture (7000-5600 cal BP) in Southern Patagonia: Insights from Obsidian and Bone Tool Analysis

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Otway Sea and Strait of Magellan region in Southern Patagonia witnessed the emergence of maritime lifeways approximately 7,000 to 5,600 years ago, leading to the establishment of the 'Englefield Culture.' This culture is characterized by its bone and lithic technology, notably the use of green obsidian. Our research is dedicated to reconstructing the toolkits employed by the Englefield Culture through use-wear analysis, with a focus on three sites from Englefield Island: Bahia Colorada 1, Pizzulic 2, and Englefield 1. Our findings uncover the existence of distinct toolkits tailored for various activities within this culture. These encompass specialized implements for hunting purposes, including bone harpoons, spears, and obsidian weapon heads. Notably, woodworking tools such as bifacial knives and flake tools reveal compelling evidence of reactivation and persistent reuse. Another category of tools was dedicated to processing soft and medium elastic animal materials. Finally, among the macrolithic tools, sharpeners and pebbles with traces of bone work stand out. Our research emphasizes the remarkable standardization and technical coherence evident within these toolkits, particularly discernible in the hunting and woodworking implements. This cohesion likely played a pivotal role in sustaining their maritime way of life and navigation practices.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39480.0