Bone preservation: a tafonomic study of the human bones remains of the contry shell-mounds of the valley of the Ribeira de Iguape, SP / Preservação óssea: um estudo tafonômico dos remanescentes ósseos humanos dos sambaquis fluviais do vale do Ribeira de Iguape, SP

AUTOR(ES)

Rafael Bartolomucci

DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2008

RESUMO

In Brazil, the archaeological sites known as "Sambaquis" - shell-mounds are geographically distributed in the coastal line and near by some rivers too. The taphonomic analyses are been applied to the study of the human bones recovered from the shell-mounds sites Capelinha, Moraes and Pavão XVI all them from the valley of the river Ribeira de Iguape, South of São Paulo State, distant from the coastal line approximately 20 miles/30 km. In this briefs presentation I expect to show that even with fragments of bones we can contributed with some hypothesis about burial rituals and the formation process of the archaeological sites. In these analyses I use the fragmentation of the bone as one source of information about the differences between an ante-mortem, peri-mortem and pos-mortem fractures. Looking for relations between types of fractures, biomechanics aspects and position of the bones in the burial as others different types of taphonomic agents that should influenced the bone fragmentation. Recent fractures can be distinguished from old ones, and the excavation and posexcavation (laboratory) treatment should be seen as one taphonomic agent too. Weathering bone was used as an indicator of the exposure of bone to the sun. I look for fire/cremation process, cut marks, fungal actions, roots damage and animal damage too. The variables was scored by its the position in each bone recovered. In the results, Id not found significant differences between the bone preservation between the sex. Already the presence of infantile skeletal remaining portions corroborates the hypothesis that the bone preservation it is associated with the funerary and the chemical composition of the shell-mounds deposits, but that depends very on the exhumation procedures. With regard to the difference of preservation between the archaeological levels, the individuals in the layers intermediate would present more complete bones that from the initial and final layers. The variable "tafonomic hole" presented more occurrences in the individuals of the layers intermediate and base and it was present in all individuals from the three sites. Its been analyzed almost 10.000 human bones and fragments.

ASSUNTO(S)

river ribeira de iguape remanescentes ósseos humanos tafonomia humans remains sambaquis fluviais rio ribeira de iguape taphonomy river-shell-mounds

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