Land-use and ceramics in the Andean highlands of Patagonia, Argentina

The aim of this paper is to study the use of ceramics of small-scale societies during the late Holocene in northern Patagonia. The technological investment model predicts that use-time and utility will determine the investment spent in ceramics. We explore how ceramics were used in short-term camps...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fernando Franchetti, Loukas Barton, Clara Otaola, Miguel Giardina, Nuria Sugrañes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani) 2024-04-01
Series:Documenta Praehistorica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.uni-lj.si/DocumentaPraehistorica/article/view/16634
Description
Summary:The aim of this paper is to study the use of ceramics of small-scale societies during the late Holocene in northern Patagonia. The technological investment model predicts that use-time and utility will determine the investment spent in ceramics. We explore how ceramics were used in short-term camps and aggregation sites during summer at high elevations, and residential camps during winter at lower elevations. To test the investment in ceramics we use four technological variables: temper size, average thickness, surface treatment and firing. Our results indicate that hunter-gatherers expected a short-term use in summer locations and therefore made a low investment in ceramics.
ISSN:1408-967X
1854-2492