DIVERSIDAD ARTEFACTUAL VS. ESPECIALIZACIÓN FUNCIONAL: ANÁLISIS DEL IV COMPONENTE DE TÚNEL I (TIERRA DEL FUEGO, ARGENTINA)

The lithic assemblage of component IV of the Tunel 1 site broadly conforms to the general characteristics of other assemblages in the region. However, a host of singular features are also evident, including here an unusually high proportion of end scrapers (approximately 95% of tools), a reliance on quartz as raw material (approximately 86% of the assemblage/all tools), and the use of a bipolar fl aking technique (12%). These features suggest a high degree of technical and functional specialization. An in-depth study of the assemblage shows interrelationships both between choices of raw material, manufacturing technique and tool morphology, as well as between the latter and tool use. The study has enabled a higher defi nition understanding of the activities that took place during the occupation of the site and, thereby, allowed inferences about both aspects of lithic technology strategies and their place in the sphere of social practices that implicate processes of decision-making and execution.