Abstract

GORDILLO, Sandra  and  HAJDUK, Adam. TRANSCORDILLERAN SUMPTUARY GOODS IN THE SOUTH OF SOUTHAMERICA: THE CASE OF THE HOMALOPOMAMARINE SNAIL. Comechingonia [online]. 2022, vol.26, n.3, pp.51-60.  Epub Dec 01, 2022. ISSN 1851-0027.  http://dx.doi.org/10.24215/18521479e032.

The tiny snail Homalopomacunninghami inhabits the Pacific Ocean in the Fuegian channels and Chilean fjords south of Chiloé Island. However, in the archaeological record, perforated artefacts attributed to the morphogenusHomalopoma have been recovered in areas far removed from its area of provenance, mainly in the eastern sector of the Patagonian Andes. In this contribution, based on the study of materials and literature review, the archaeological record (N=116) is analysed, which includes 12 sites located in Patagonia and in a sector of the Central Andes, covering a wide time range that exceeds 5000 years. Information is provided on the contexts of finding, providing data on morphological and technomorphological aspects of the morphogenusHomalopoma, and ecological aspects of the living species. It also discusses the probable routes of circulation and the chromatic attributesand marine origin of these materialities that make them differential objects linked to selective consumption.

Keywords : Archaemalacology marine shellstranscordilleran circulation; prestigious goods.

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