Virtual anthropology and archaeogenomics of pre-colonial Brazil

• Grant number: 17/16451-2
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• Start date: December 01, 2018
• End date: November 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Archeology - Prehistoric Archaeology
• Principal Investigator: André Menezes Strauss
• Grantee: André Menezes Strauss
• Host Institution: Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia (MAE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Andersen Liryo da Silva ; Anne Rapp Py-Daniel ; Danilo Vicensotto Bernardo ; Elaine de Alencastro Magalhães ; Fabíola Andréa Silva ; Fabrício Rodrigues dos Santos ; Francisco Antonio Pugliese Junior ; Henrique Antônio Valadares Costa ; Henry Luydy Abraham Fernandes ; Lygia Ferreira Rocco ; Maria Ana Moreira Afonso Correia ; Rafael Aparecido Monpean ; Rodrigo Elias de Oliveira ; Tábita Hünemeier ; Veronica Wesolowski de Aguiar e Santos ; Wagner Magalhães ; Walter Alves Neves ; Ximena Suarez Villagran
• Associated research grant(s): 20/06527-4 - Multi-User Equipment approved in grant 17/16451-2: Agilent 4200 TapeStation, AP.EMU
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/16983-5 - Population history of pre-colonial maritime societies of São Paulo State (Brazil): an archaeogenetic analysis of the Piaçaguera shellmound, BP.MS; 23/18132-2 - Cultural changes in Central Brazil: high-resolution geoarchaeology at Gruta do Gentio II and Lapa do Boquete, MG, BP.PD; 23/11791-0 - Virtual segmentation and positioning of three-dimensional landmarks in the human bony labyrinth from micro-CT scans of archaeological skeletons, BP.TT; + associated scholarships 22/14919-5 - Lithic artifacts of Serra da Capivara: detailed inventory of "Estado do Piauí" - Silvia Maranca archaeological collection (MAE-USP), BP.IC; 22/05806-2 - The consumption and management of plants in the Brazilian savannah during the Middle and Late Holocene: an analysis of botanical microremains from three archaeological sites in Central Brazil, BP.DR; 22/05420-7 - Petrographic analysis and lithic raw material procurement strategies of Sanfranciscana Basin: mobility in Pleistocene-Holocene transition and early Holocene, BP.DR; 22/01850-7 - Virtual segmentation and landmarking the human bony labyrinth on micro CT-scans of archaeological skeletons, BP.TT; 21/08346-0 - Virtual segmentation and landmarking the human bony labyrinth on micro CT-scans of archaeological skeletons, BP.TT; 21/01214-0 - Diet and subsistence among the producers of the Tupiguarani ceramics from Sorocaba and region: a bioarchaeological approach, BP.MS; 20/06729-6 - The bony labyrinth and the population history of pre-Colonial Brazil: A Virtual Anthropology approach, BP.PD; 20/08781-5 - Human mobility in central Brazil in the early Holocene: Lagoa Santa's cross-sectional analysis of long bones, BP.IC; 20/08769-5 - The suppression of African culture in the history of São Paulo: archaeological and historiographical perspectives, BP.IC; 20/04402-0 - Origins and development of subsistence strategies based on food production during the Holocene in the São Francisco River basin: a multidisciplinary approach, BP.DR; 19/12981-2 - From funerary taphonomy to mortuary practices: a case study of the archaeological site Caixa d'Água (Buritizeiro - MG), BP.MS - associated scholarships

Abstract

Population dynamics, ancestry relationships, social organization and phenotypic traits are fundamental aspects of the indigenous bio-cultural past that can be studied by archaeology. Here we contribute to these topics through two new disciplines that complement each other: virtual anthropology and archaeogenomics. The following archaeological questions will be addressed: internal homogeneity and relationship with post-colonial Amerindians of groups associated with pottery of the Incised-Rim Tradition and of the Aratu Tradition, demographic origin of the non-agricultural chiefdoms of Marajó Island, presence of the australo-asiatic signal (i.e. Y population) among groups inhabiting the fluvial shell middens of the Guaporé region in the state of Rondônia (east Amazonia), populational structure in the coastal shell middens of South and Southeast Brazil, relationship of coastal and fluvial shell middens, demic implications of the arrival of ceramists to the coast by the end of the Holocene, consanguinity relationships between individuals integrating 'afinities groups' in shell middens of Santa Catarina, and the ancestry relationship between early Paleoamericans and late Amerindians. Virtual anthropology unites three-dimensional modeling and high-resolution geometric morphometrics. Beyond its analytical applications, virtual anthropology also introduces a new era in managing archaeological heritage. Skulls, petrous bone and teeth will be virtualized by computed tomographies from which three-dimensional models will be extracted. High-resolution geometric morphometrics will be used to access the morphological affinities of both crania and bone labyrinth. The cranium is a complex anatomical structure and therefore it is important to verify if previous studies based on linear measurements are confirmed by a high-resolution approach based on three-dimensional models. Facial reconstruction incorporating phenotypic estimations from archaeogenomic data will be produced based on retro-deformed three-dimensional cranial models. Patterns of morphological variation of the bony labyrinth contain information on micro-evolutionary processes. Resistant to the passage of time it allows morphological studies to include contexts with highly fragmented skeletons. This is the first time these analysis will be applied to Brazilian archaeological remains. Archaeogenomics will allow for a detailed characterization of the genetic constitution of pre-colonial Amerindians, estimation of past demographic parameters, dating of coalescence events, identification of consanguinity relationships, and to estimate phenotypic traits. Ancient mtDNA will be extracted in the first Brazilian laboratory exclusively dedicated to archaeogenomics that will be established in the Institute of Biosciences of São Paulo University in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Strontium isotopic analysis from dental enamel inform on geographic provenience and mobility patterns and will complement genetic and morphological data in the interpretation of past population dynamics. A solid chronological context will be provided by Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates obtained from non-contaminated collagen. Excavations focusing on spatiality of the site and three-dimensional modeling of relevant structures will be conducted in the single large shell midden in the state of Espírito Santo, state in which there are no archaeological skeletal remains with associated context, and in Pains, only region besides Lagoa Santa and Vale do Ribeira where skeletons directly dated to more than 9000 years are found. Geoarchaeological studies based on a micro-contextual approach will be conducted at both sites. An archaeological ethnography will be conducted in both localities aiming to establish the best way in which this research project can contribute with local communities and further action will be taken accordingly. (AU)

Scientific publications

(9)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

VILLAGRAN, XIMENA S.; STRAUSS, ANDRE; ALVES, MARCONY; OLIVEIRA, RODRIGO ELIAS. Virtual micromorphology: The application of micro-CT scanning for the identification of termite mounds in archaeological sediments. JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS, v. 24, p. 785-795, APR 2019. (17/16451-2, 15/19405-6)

UTIDA, GISELLE; CRUZ, FRANCISCO W.; SANTOS, ROBERTO V.; SAWAKUCHI, ANDRE O.; WANG, HONG; PESSENDA, LUIZ C. R.; NOVELLO, VALDIR F.; VUILLE, MATHIAS; STRAUSS, ANDRE M.; BORELLA, ANA CLAUDIA; et al. Climate changes in Northeastern Brazil from deglacial to Meghalayan periods and related environmental impacts. QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS, v. 250, DEC 15 2020. (16/15807-5, 19/15914-4, 17/50085-3, 20/02737-4, 19/12981-2, 17/16451-2)

CORREIA, MARIA ANA; OLIVEIRA, ALINE; FREITAS, LAURA L.; SPOSITO, LUANA; CARVALHO, JOB; MURRIETA, RUI; STRAUSS, ANDRE; OLIVEIRA, RODRIGO. Determination of biological sex through the lateral angle - A methodological improvement. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, v. 177, p. 1-pg., 2022-04-01. (20/06729-6, 17/16451-2, 20/08769-5, 20/08781-5)

JAOUEN, KLERVIA; TROST, MANUEL; BOURGON, NICOLAS; COLLETER, ROZENN; LE CABEC, ADELINE; TUTKEN, THOMAS; OLIVEIRA, RODRIGO ELIAS; PONS, MARIE LAURE; MEJEAN, PAULINE; STEINBRENNER, SVEN; et al. Zinc isotope variations in archeological human teeth (Lapa do Santo, Brazil) reveal dietary transitions in childhood and no contamination from gloves. PLoS One, v. 15, n. 5, MAY 14 2020. (17/16451-2, 08/51747-0, 04/01321-6)

POSTH, COSIMO; NAKATSUKA, NATHAN; LAZARIDIS, IOSIF; SKOGLUND, PONTUS; MALLICK, SWAPAN; LAMNIDIS, THISEAS C.; ROHLAND, NADIN; NAEGELE, KATHRIN; ADAMSKI, NICOLE; BERTOLINI, EMILIE; et al. Reconstructing the Deep Population History of Central and South America. Cell, v. 175, n. 5, p. 1185+, NOV 15 2018. (04/01321-6, 04/11038-0, 99/12684-2, 17/16451-2)

VILLAGRAN, XIMENA S.; HARTMANN, GELVAM A.; STAHLSCHMIDT, MAREIKE; HEINRICH, SUSAN; GLUCHY, MARIA F.; HATTE, CHRISTINE; LAHAYE, CHRISTELLE; GRIGGO, CHRISTOPHE; PEREZ, ANTONIO; DE MELO RAMOS, MARCOS PAULO; et al. Formation Processes of the Late Pleistocene Site Toca da Janela da Barra do Antoniao - Piaui (Brazil). PALEOAMERICA, v. 7, n. 3, p. 260-279, JUL 3 2021. (17/16451-2, 15/19405-6)

XIMENA SUAREZ VILLAGRAN; MARCONY LOPES ALVES; THIAGO KATER; KELLY BRANDÃO VAZ DA SILVA; NICOLÁS BATALLA; MARCELO DA COSTA; JESSICA COSTA; DIONNE MIRANDA AZEVEDO ERLER; MARIANE PEREIRA FERREIRA; PATRÍCIA MAGON; et al. Petrografia de cerâmicas da fase Bacabal (sambaqui Monte Castelo): um dos mais antigos usos de cauixi na Amazônia. Bol. Mus. Para. Emílio Goeldi. Ciênc. hum., v. 17, n. 1, 2022-05-06. (19/07794-9, 17/16451-2, 17/11817-9, 15/19405-6)

CORREIA, MARIA ANA; DIMITRI, MANUEL; LIMA, TALITA; MACRON, JOAO VITOR; SPOSITO, LUANA; OLIVEIRA, RODRIGO; WESOLOWSKI, VERONICA; STRAUSS, ANDRE. The bony labyrinth and the population history of pre-Colonial Brazil - A virtual anthropology approach. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, v. 180, p. 1-pg., 2023-04-01. (20/06729-6, 17/16451-2, 21/08346-0, 22/01850-7)

OLIVEIRA, RODRIGO; STRAUSS, ANDRE; MURRIETA, RUI; CASTRO, CLAUDIO; MATIOLI, ANTONIO. An Early Holocene case of congenital syphilis in South America. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, v. N/A, p. 6-pg., 2022-11-17. (17/16451-2)