[Go to Parent Session] [Previous Page] [SEARCH] [DAILY OUTLINES]

The cultural use of rockshelters by Paleoamericans (12,000–8,000 BP): three case studies from central Brazil

Astolfo Araujo (University of São Paulo)
James Feathers (University of Washington)
Manuel Arroyo-Kalin (University of Cambridge)

Abstract

Lagoa Santa, the core area for this project, is a karstic region in Central Brazil, with thousands of rockshelters and caves. Many of them were occupied by humans since the beginning of the Holocene. Three rockshelters were intensively excavated in the last six years. We undertook an investigation of the formation processes operating at the sites, coupling data from artifacts, stratigraphy, geochemistry, luminescence and micromorphology. One of our main conclusions is that the bulk of accumulated sediments at the sites are of anthropogenic origin, mainly plant ash remains, which is somewhat unexpected given prevailing models about the lifestyle of Paleoamerican hunter-gatherers in South America. The evidence we discuss is also consistent with paleoenvironmental evidence suggesting a dry period during the mid-Holocene in the region, probably leading to a decrease in human occupation. We surmise that both factors underpin a surprising reduction in sediment accumulation at the sites during the mid-Holocene.