ANDEAN PAST - Latin American Studies Program - Cornell University

27-were false, and that, though specificto plants,the Type 7 tool was utilized in a variety ofactions. As mentioned above, this tool typeinfinalconsideration cannot be classifiedas eithergeneralizedor specialized. Its classificationas acurated tool type, however, appears to be correct,based on the heavy use-wearfound on 3 of4 microscopicallyanalyzed specimens.ConclusionsThe microscopicuse-wearstudyofthe NLT,despite being conducted on a small sample of.the totallithics assemblage,achieved its goals.The analysiscrosschecked the typologicaldata,finding many points of agreement and allowingclarifications to be made where there wereinteranalysis disagreements. The polish andresidue evidence provided invaluable directevidence of tool use and reemphasized theprimacy of plant and wood- related activities.The variability present within the NLTwasfurther underscored by' the .variety Qf bothgeneralized and specialized tools present, andeven the presence of certain tooltypesthat weregeneralized in one-category and specializedinanother (i.e., action versus estimated materialuse). Lastly, the microscopic analysis addedfurther detail to the intersite activityqifferencesthat have been repeatedly observed thus far.The limitation of the study wasthe smallsizeofthe sample (91 use edges), whichonlyallowedafewexamples of each tool type to be examined.In its entirety, the multidimensional lithicsanalysisprovided a complete documentation ofthe NLT which could not have been achievedfrom anyone perspective (such as morphologicalanalysis) alone. As the most numerousartifact assemblage in the Nanchoc sites, acomplete lithic analysis including use-wearanalysisis essential for providinga basic frameworkof site activities, against which site structures,features, and a variety of smaller nonlithicassemblages were juxtaposed and compared(Dillehay et al. 1997j Rossen 1991). Theultimate definition of the Middle PreceramicNanchoc Culture as a locallypermanent, plantorientedsociety in the early stages of culturalDillehay& Rossen:NanchocUthic Traditionintensification depends on the foundation of acomplete and multidimensional lithic analysis.AcknowledgementsAnalysis of the Nanchoc lithics was supportedby the National Science Foundation and theUniversity of Kentucky Center for ComputationalScience. Our understanding of this lithicindustry was enhanced by discussions withWilliam Y. Adams, Duccio Bonavia, PeterKaulicke, and Ramiro Matos. The lithics wereillustrated by Jimmy A. Railey. We gratefullyacknowledgethe Instituto Nacional de Cultura,Lima, for the export permit that allowed thisspecial study to be conducted.References CitedAldenderfer, Mark S.1998 MontaneForagers:Asana and the South,CentralAndeanArchak. .IowaCity: Universityof IowaPress.Antunez de Mayolo Rynning, Santiago Erik1981 LAnutrici6nenelantiguoPerULima:BancoCentralde Reserva del Peru.Baker, Paul T. and Richard B. Mazess1963 Calcium: Unusual Sources in the Highland Peru,vian Diet. Science 142(no. 3598):1466,1467.Barton, H., R. Torrence, and R. Fullagar1998 Clues to Stone Tool Function Reexamined: Com,paring Starch Grain Frequencies on Used andUnusedObsidianArtefacts.]oumalofArchaeologi,calScience25:1231,1238.Chauchat, Claude1975 The PaijlinComplex, Pampa de Cupisnique,Peru.Nawpa Pacha13:85,96.1978 AdditionalObservationson the PaijlinComplex.Nawpa Pacha 16:51,65.1988 EarlyHunter,Gathererson the PeruvianCoast.InPeruvianPrehistory, edited byRichardW. Keatinge,pp. 41,65. Cambridge, England: Cambridge Uni,versity Press.Chauchat, Qaude, Elisabeth Wing, Jean,Paul Lacombe,Pierre,YvesDemars, Santiago Uceda, and Carlos Deza1992 Prehistoiredela c6tenorddu P&ou:LePaijaniendeCupisnique.Cahiers du Quaternaire 18.CentreNatonal de la Recherche ScientiAque. CentreRegional de Publication de Bordeaux.Correal,Gonzalo .1989 ~: eWlenciasde ~eHecolectores ':Jplantadoresenel altiplaniciedela cordilleraoriental.