New Records and Observations on Paleo-American Artifacts from Cerro Largo, Northeastern Uruguay and a Peculiar Case of Reclaimed Fishtail Points

Abstract

A research program directed to deepening the knowledge and understanding of Paleo-American "fishtail" points is being carried out. In pursuit this goal, lithic remains from Cerro Largo department, northeastern Uruguay is examined. One of the samples comes from Paso Centurión, a surface site that has yielded the greatest number of fishtail points in Uruguay. There, and at the Paso Taborda site, several exemplars were reworked as scraping tools, constituting a peculiar case of stone tool recycling and reclaiming by post-Pleistocene hunter-gatherers. The examined collection shed new light on regional lithic assemblages, stone tool behavior and the early colonization of southeastern South America. Additionally, the study of other Uruguayan fishtails show the use of edge-to-edge and overshot flaking, technical features shared with Paleoindian fishtailed points from North and Central America. Similarities with other Paleoindian points from both hemispheres of the New World in relation to the SouthAmerican fishtail origins are discussed.

New records of fishtail projectile points from Brazil and its implications for its peopling

“…In fact, in point #16, made from a thin flake, the ventral face is substantially flat, with no retouches in part of the blade, similar to other projectiles recovered in other areas of South America (Flegenheimer et al 2010;Nami 2015b). The morphological variability observed in the sample, also recognized in many other regions in South America, has been attributed to differences between regions and individuals, to the hunting of different prey sizes (Nami 2014a), and to changes due to resharpening (Nami 1990;1998;2011a;2013;2014a;2014b;2015b;Politis 1991;Suárez 2004;Baeza & Femenías 2005;Flegenheimer et al 2010;2013;Castiñeira et al 2011). Additionally, there could also be a dimensional variability associated with the type of raw material used.…”

“…Longitudinal cross-sections in points greater than 80 mm are always biconvex, probably related to the use of thinned bifaces as blanks (Nami 2001;2015b). On the other hand, plane-convex cross-sections are observed in smaller pieces.…”

New Paleoindian Finds, Further Fell Points Data, and Technological Observations from Uruguay: Implications for the Human Peopling in Southeastern South America

“…In this regard, the Uruguayan territory has one of the greatest densities in South America. They were recovered from stratigraphic (Meneghin 2015), but mainly surface finds (Castiñeira et al, 2011;López-Mazz, 2013;Suárez, 2015;Nami, 2013Nami, , 2015aNami, , 2016aNami, , 2017among others).…”

Paleoamericans in Northeast Argentina

“…According to the options available for producing these projectiles (Nami, 2003(Nami, , 2011(Nami, , 2015, south Brazilian FTPPs greater than 80 mm always have biconvex longitudinal cross-sections, which are probably related to the use of thinned bifaces. On the other hand, plane-convex cross-sections can be seen in smaller pieces, which are related to the thin flakes used as blanks .…”

“…The final stage was done by short retouches to achieve its specific design. An abrasion action was often performed on the sides of the stem, and in some a fluted channel was made, generally limited to the stem, but which could also extend beyond the union stem/blade (Bird, 1938) (Bell, 1965) (Nami, 2003(Nami, , 2014a(Nami, , 2014b(Nami, , 2015.…”