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Fragments of the Past

Microartifact Analysis of Use Surfaces at Tumilaca la Chimba, Moquegua, Peru

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2017

Bradley J. Parker  and
Nicola Sharratt
Bradley J. Parker
Affiliation:
University of Utah, 201 South Presidents Circle Room 201 Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (Bradley.J.Parker@Utah.edu)
Nicola Sharratt
Affiliation:
Georgia State University, Department of Anthropology, Sparks Hall, Suite 335 Atlanta, GA 30303 (nsharratt@gsu.edu)
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Abstract

Microartifact analysis, the study of the density and distribution of tiny (yet visible) fragments of ceramics, bone, worked stone, and other microartifacts, offers a promising solution to the challenges of determining the location and nature of activity areas at archaeological sites. In spite of the fact that microartifact analysis has been successfully applied at sites in North America and the Middle East, archaeologists have yet to recognize the utility of this methodology in most of the rest of the world. The purpose of this article is, therefore, to test whether this methodology can be profitably applied in the southern Andes. To do so, we describe the results of microartifact sampling, processing, and analytical techniques that we applied to two phases of occupation at the site of Tumilaca la Chimba in southern Peru. The results of the research outlined in this article suggest that microartifact analysis is an effective analytical technique that can contribute greatly to archaeological praxis.

El estudio de la densidad y la distribución de diminutos (aunque visibles) fragmentos de cerámica, hueso, piedra trabajada y otros microartefactos varios—llamado análisis de microartefactos—ofrece una prometedora solución a los retos que se presentan al intentar determinar la ubicación y naturaleza de las áreas de actividad en los sitios arqueológicos. A pesar de que el análisis de microartefactos ha sido utilizado exitosamente en sitios arqueológicos en Norteamérica y el Medio Oriente, los arqueólogos en otras partes del mundo no han implementado esta metodología de manera recurrente. Por lo tanto, el propósito de este artículo es poner a prueba la utilidad de esta metodología en la zona sur de los Andes peruanos. Para lograrlo, describimos los resultados obtenidos de la toma de muestras, el procesamiento y la aplicación de técnicas análiticas a los microartefactos recuperados de dos fases de ocupación distintas en el sitio arqueológico Tumilaca la Chimba, en el sur de Perú. Los resultados de la investigación, descritos en esta publicación, sugieren que el análisis de microartefactos es una técnica análitica eficaz que puede contribuir en gran medida a la práctica arqueológica de la región.

Type
Articles
Information
Advances in Archaeological Practice , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , February 2017 , pp. 71 - 92
Copyright
Copyright 2017 © Society for American Archaeology 

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References

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