Provenance, manufacture and use of lithic materials at Laguna Cabeza de Buey 2 site (Central Pampa grasslands, Buenos Aires) during the Middle and Late Holocene

In this article, we describe the results obtained from the techno-morphological and micro-wear analysis of lithic materials from the excavated sector of Laguna Cabeza de Buey 2 site. Here, we assess data concerning the acquisition, production, and use strategies of these resources, as developed by hunter-gatherer groups under two different palaeoenvironmental conditions. During the Middle Holocene, we identified a semi-arid environment with the presence of a small, brackish and shallow body of water that permitted ephemeral human occupations. The technological characteristics, the low diversity of typological groups, and types of materials processed by the tools -mainly wood and bone- lends support to the presence of temporary human occupations linked to a high mobility pattern. On the other hand, towards the end of the Late Holocene, the palaeoclimatic model indicates humid conditions similar to the present-day, with a more stable landscape -dunes fixed with grassland vegetation- and the presence of a permanent body of water. In this context, there was a much more intense occupation, reflected in the greater quantity and diversity of tools, the wide range of materials processed with them, including skin, wood, bone and non-woody vegetables, as well as the appearance of pottery.