Spear-throwers from Caleta Huelén 42 (northern Chile): implications for south-central Andean hunting technologies

Museum collections represent a vast archive of archaeological objects and the excavations from which they were recovered. The research presented here stems from re-examination of spear-throwers excavated in the 1970s from Caleta Huelén 42, located on the Atacama Desert coast (northern Chile). Direct dates from two specimens, reported for the first time in this article, reveal that these are the oldest currently known examples of this technology in the Andes. Comparing the morphological and technological attributes of these artefacts with other known examples, the authors propose that spear-throwers and their use formed part of a shared tradition of land hunting.