Research works at Quebrada de los Burros evidenced an Archaic settlement on the littoral of Tacna (Peru). This campsite of fishermen and shell-gatherers (QLB) has been occupied during Early and Middle Holocene, between 10,000 and 6,000 BP Broad horizontal excavations revealed six successive occupation levels, with living floor layouts, hearths, specialized activity areas and accumulations of food waste of marine origin mixed with bones of terrestrial fauna. As a whole, these remains indicate that, since the beginning, the inhabitants relied intensively on ocean resources but they also exploited the lomas. Lithic tools and bone instruments attest a sophisticated equipment for fishing gathering and hunting. Two phases of occupation were characterized, the first during Early Holocene (ca. 10,000 to 7,000 BP), the second during Middle Holocene (ca. 7,000 to 6,000 BP). The analyses suggest, for the first phase, a succession of short occupations and possible contacts with high lands and, on the contrary, a more intensive occupation, nearly all the year round, for the second, during which raw lithic materials came from nearby areas. A close relation with Chilean sites Chinchorro is confirmed. |
