Trends in the faunal human exploitation during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene in the Pampean region (Argentina)

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The main goal of this paper is to highlight regional and temporal variation in the presence and exploitation of faunal resources during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene (ca. 12 000–7000 uncalibrated 14C yr BP) in the Pampean region (Argentina, South America). The main issues discussed are a summary of archeological and zooarchaeological evidence (sites, location, chronology, lithic technology, faunal distribution and diversity, etc.) both on regional and areal scales. The topics included in order to characterize subsistence strategies are the climatic changes that operated on and influenced the species, differential species extinction and survival, exploited species diversity, procurement and processing techniques, and intensity of faunal exploitation. It is proposed that the Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene period is characterized by a generalized regional economy, as has also been recently proposed for North America. In general terms, a broad spectrum of resources would have been exploited by humans as suggested by the presence and diversity of consumed species. Given the fluctuating climatic conditions during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, a subsistence pattern composed of a broad diet would have been a suitable strategy to promote in unstable environments. Both taxonomic diversity and richness are greater when compared with the following time period (Middle Holocene), characterized by a specialized regional economy.