The bone remains of the archaeological site La Mesada (central plateau of Santa Cruz): a taphonomic approximation
In this paper the first results of taphonomic studies at La Mesada site are presented. The site is located in La María Archaeological Locality in the central plateau of Santa Cruz, Argentina. The environmental characteristics of this cave contemplate important fluctuations of the water levels and a...
Guardado en:
| Autores principales: | , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | Artículo revista |
| Lenguaje: | Español |
| Publicado: |
Centro de Estudios Históricos. UA CONICET
2019
|
| Acceso en línea: | https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/comechingonia/article/view/27490 |
| Aporte de: |
| Sumario: | In this paper the first results of taphonomic studies at La Mesada site are presented. The site is located in La María Archaeological Locality in the central plateau of Santa Cruz, Argentina. The environmental characteristics of this cave contemplate important fluctuations of the water levels and a high density of vegetation, factors that intervene actively in the formation of the archeological record. This is why, the main aim of this work focused, from a taphonomic perspective, on evaluating the composition, origin and processes that modified the faunal assemblage of the component from the middle Holocene. The bony elements were analyzed, of which Lama guanicoe was the most represented species. The surfaces were studied from a macroscopic approach, which allowed the recognition of different modification patterns, among which the differential coloration of the bone elements was distinguished. It highlights the action of water as the main taphonomic agent, this has not only modified the bone surfaces, but has also intervened in the destruction of bone specimens. However, what is analyzed here invite us to affirm that, although this assemblage is very affected, the main accumulating agent of the bone elements has been anthropic. |
|---|