The First Record of a Pre-Columbian Domestic Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) in Brazil

Archaeological excavations of the PSG-07 earthen mound at Pontal da Barra in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil have revealed the earliest known evidence for the presence of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) in Brazil. This is the first reported pre-Columbian example in the country. Analysis of morphology, morphometry, and dental enamel laminae identified a left maxillary molar 1, left maxillary molar 2 and attached fragments of the maxilla of C.l.familiaris. A direct radiocarbon date on a fragment of the maxilla provided an age range between 1701 and 1526cal BP (2σ). This is within the range of other dates for the site, which indicate intermittent occupation between 2024 and 1027cal BP (2σ). Data from carbon isotope analysis indicates a potential marine diet. However, nitrogen isotope analysis values are lower than expected for a marine diet. The sparse records of pre-Columbian C. l.familiaris in the region emphasise the importance of the present work.Fil: Guedes Milheira, R.. Universidade Federal de Pelotas; BrasilFil: Loponte, Daniel Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Secretaría de Cultura de la Nación. Dirección Nacional de Cultura y Museos. Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano; ArgentinaFil: García Esponda, C.. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Alejandro Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Secretaría de Cultura de la Nación. Dirección Nacional de Cultura y Museos. Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano; ArgentinaFil: Ulguim, P.. Teesside Univeristy; Reino Unid

Moieties and mortuary mounds: dualism at a mound and enclosure complex in the southern Brazilian Highlands

Excavations at Abreu Garcia provide a detailed case study of a mound and enclosure mortuary complex utilised by the southern proto-Je in the southern Brazilian highlands. The recovery of 16 secondary cremation deposits within a single mound allows an in-depth discussion of spatial aspects of mortuary practice. A spatial division in the placement of the interments adds another level of duality to the mortuary landscape, which comprises: i) paired mound and enclosures; ii) twin mounds within a mound and enclosure; and iii) the dual division in the mound interior. The multiple levels of nested asymmetric dualism evoke similarities to the moiety system that characterizes modern southern Je groups, highlighting both the opposition and the complementarity of the social system. The findings offer a deeper insight into fundamental aspects of southern proto-Je social organization, including the dual nature of the community, the manifestation of social structure on the landscape and its incorporation into mortuary ritual. The results have implications for research design and developing appropriate methodologies to answer culture specific questions. Furthermore, the parallels among archaeology, ethnohistory and ethnography enable an understanding of the foundation of modern descendent groups and an assessment of the continuity in indigenous culture beyond European contact

Tembetá from Abreu Garcia Cluster 8 Cremated Deposit RTI First Release

<p>First release of RTI file for stone tembetá (lip-plug) recovered from Cluster 8 cremated deposit of Mound A, at the Abreu Garcia Mound and Enclosure complex, Santa Catarina, Brazil during the 2015 excavation season as part of the Jê Landscapes of Southern Brazil project. Created with 13 images using RTIBuilder 2.0.2 and the Hemispherical Harmonics (HSH) fitter.</p> <p>Primeira divulgação do arquivo de RTI de um adorno labial em pedra - tembetá recuperado do depósito de remanescentes cremados - Cluster 8 no Mound A, no MEC Abreu & Garcia, Santa Catarina, Brasil, durante a campanha de escavação de 2015, como parte do projeto Paisagens Jê do Sul do Brasil. Criado com 13 imagens usando RTIBuilder 2.0.2 e Hemispherical Harmonics (HSH) fitter.</p

Arqueologia dos Cerritos na Laguna dos Patos, Sul do Brasil: uma síntese da ocupação regional

Desde o século XIX são pesquisados sítios arqueológicos compostos por montículos predominantemente de terra denominados cerritos ou aterros, associados a estruturas como microrrelevos, negativos topográficos, caminhos e praças que configuram complexos arqueológicos comumente encontrados em ambientes alagadiços no bioma Pampa, entre o sul do Brasil, Uruguai e Argentina. No Brasil, na porção meridional da Laguna dos Patos, a arqueologia dos ceritos vem sendo retomada depois de 40 anos de esquecimento.  Já foram realizados mapeamento de três complexos de sítios com cerritos e desenvolvidas intervenções sistemáticas para compreensão dos contextos arqueológicos; estudos de tecnologias, dieta alimentar e processos de formação, bem como o estabelecimento de cronologias. Esses dados foram sintetizados neste artigo para discutir a relação sistêmica entre as diferentes áreas de ocupação no ambiente lagunar do estuário da laguna dos Patos

Integrating archaeology and palaeoecology to understand Jê landscapes in southern Brazil

Around AD 1000, the southern Brazilian highlands witnessed a convergence of phenomena: climatic change, the abrupt expansion of Araucaria forest and the appearance of large pit-houses and monumental mound and enclosure complexes, which signal fundamental socio-political and ideological change amongst southern proto-Jê (SPJ) groups. These developments raise intriguing questions regarding the relationships between people, vegetation and climate over the last 2000 years

The Use of Three-Dimensional Scanning and Surface Capture Methods in Recording Forensic Taphonomic Traces: Issues of Technology, Visualisation, and Validation

Three-dimensional (3D) space capture is now routinely applied in forensic practice. This has often taken the form of using pseudo-3D visualisations such as 360° photography (return to scene) or digital photogrammetry or true 3D space capture using laser scanning (to derive surfaces), or total station survey methods (to derive Cartesian coordinates). Often these are used to record topography and spatial distributions at crime scenes and may be used to provide a spatial archive of evidence found at a scene or as an aid in visualisation for courtroom purposes. However, there is a growing interest in the use of 3D data capture methods for recording and analysing taphonomic evidence, both for purposes of recording and data sharing, but also to facilitate formal taphonomic analyses which are often qualitative with regard to taphonomic trace criteria. However, as the application of 3D data in taphonomy is a relatively new phenomenon, there remains little consensus on what equipment and imaging modalities are either appropriate or indeed best, to use, and whether digital models of taphonomic traces are analytically valid or verifiable. This paper sets out to highlight and evaluate a number of technological approaches