Revisiting the oldest known lithic assemblages of Colombia: A review of data from El Abra and Tibitó (Cundiboyacense Plateau, Eastern Cordillera, Colombia)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present a review of the data referred to some of the earliest Colombian archaeological sites, i.e. Tibitó 1, El Abra 2 and El Abra 3 (Cundiboyacense Plateau, Eastern Cordillera).The re-analysis of the lithic assemblages, according to a techno-typological approach referred to the lowest levels of these sites, traditionally considered the oldest and most significant sites of Colombia, has highlighted several discrepancies and critical elements in reference to the analysis of the lithic industry and the effective association between cultural elements and stratigraphy.Our review reveals that the evidence of human occupation of the oldest levels of these sites is reduced to a few artefacts, from which it is not possible to infer any kind of interpretation.