Population history of Brazilian south and southeast shellmound builders inferred through dental morphology

Author(s)

Fidalgo, Daniel ^{[1, 2]} ; Hubbe, Mark ^{[3, 4]} ; Wesolowski, Veronica ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Museu Arqueol & Etnol, Av Prof Almeida Prado, 1466 Butanta, BR-05508070 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Coimbra, Ctr Invest Antropol & Saude, Coimbra - Portugal

^[3] Ohio State Univ, Dept Anthropol, Columbus, OH 43210 - USA

^[4] Univ Catolica Norte, Inst Arqueol & Antropol, San Pedro De Atacama - Chile

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY; JUN 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Objective The Southeast and South Coast of Brazil was inhabited during most of the Holocene by shellmound builders. Although there are cultural differences in the archaeological record between regions, it is still debatable how these differences may relate to different population histories. Here, we contribute to this discussion by exploring dental morphological affinities between several regional series. Materials and Methods Dental morphology of 385 individuals from 14 archaeological sites was analyzed using the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System. Fifteen traits were used to explore morphological affinities among series through Euclidean distance, Mean Measure of Divergence, and Principal Component Analysis. Mantel matrix correlation and partial correlation tests were used to examine the association between biological, geographic, and chronological distances. Results Morphological affinities show that ceramic and nonceramic South Coast groups cluster and differ from most Southeast series. In contrast, Southeast coastal and riverine groups display high morphological variance, showing less biological coherence among them. These biological distances between regions are partially explained by geography, but not by chronology. Conclusions The results support that these coastal populations were low-mobility groups. Although interactions between individuals of different regions likely existed, gene flow occurred mostly among individuals from local or adjacent areas. The introduction of ceramic in the South Coast is not associated with changes in dental morphology patterns, suggesting its adoption is not exclusively associated with the arrival of different biological groups. Southeast coastal and riverine groups show high phenotypic diversity, suggesting a different history of human occupation and cultural development than observed in the South Coast. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/20637-4 - Dental morphology of pre-colonial human osteological series from the Southeastern coast of Brazil: contributions to the study of morphological variability in shell-mound populations
• Grantee: Daniel Filipe Ferreira Fidalgo
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 19/18289-3 - The dental morphology of the riverine and coastal shell-mound builders from the South-Southeast of Brazil
• Grantee: Daniel Filipe Ferreira Fidalgo
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate