New morpho-technological studies to enhance the knowledge of Fell point variability in southeastern South America

Abstract

In the wide field of archaeology, stone tools are one of the major pieces of evidence to assess the knowledge and understanding of the peopling of the Americas. To answer anthropological questions concerning migration routes, colonization events, and further socio-cultural developments in the Americas, long term research has been directed to deepening the knowledge and understanding diverse technological topics of terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene lithic remains, with particular focus on “fishtail”, “Fell’s cave”, or just “Fell” projectile points. Resulting from the research advances, this paper provides further detailed information to enlarge the database and morpho-technological knowledge of Fell points from north of the La Plata River, in the southern cone of South America. The analyzed sample has shown that there is broad technical and dimensional variability. Based on specific technological features and well-dated coeval finds, with some caution I consider the hypothesis that in certain places, the Fell points makers might have developed a regional variant with barbs or highly acute shoulders. The new observations have significant implications for understanding one of the earliest bifacial technologies in the archaeology of the Americas.