Abstract

MORELLO, Flavia; STERN, Charles  and  SAN ROMAN, Manuel. Obsidiana verde en Tierra del Fuego y Patagonia: caracterización, distribución y problemáticas culturales a lo largo del Holoceno. Intersecciones antropol. [online]. 2015, vol.16, suppl.1, pp.139-153. ISSN 1850-373X.

Green obsidian as raw material used by prehistoric hunter-gatherer groups of Fuego-Patagonia has been present in the macro-regional archaeological research since its discovery in the 1950s. A new critical synthesis and updated studies for this volcanic rock are presented and new geochemical analyses are discussed in order to understand their relation with cultural issues such as sourcing, distribution and technology. The exact occurrence of the source is still unknown, but archaeological and geological signs confine its location near Otway Sea and Riesco Island, Magallanes Region, Chile. We have evaluated aspects related to the spatial and temporal archaeological record’s distribution of green obsidian, to the discontinuity in its use and arguments of its relevance as evidence of cultural interaction between land and sea hunter-gatherers, from West to East and also between the North and South of the Strait of Magellan.

Keywords : Green obsidian; Patagonia; Middle and Late Holocene; Technology; Interaction.

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