Lapa das boleiras rockshelter: stratigraphy and formation processes at a paleoamerican site in Central Brazil

Author(s)

Araujo, Astolfo G. M. ^[1] ; Feathers, James K. ^[2] ; Arroyo-Kalin, Manuel ^[3] ; Tizuka, Michelle M. ^[4]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo EACH USP, Sch Arts Sci & Humanities, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Washington, Luminescence Dating Lab, Seattle, WA 98195 - USA

^[3] Univ Cambridge, McBurney Geoarchaeol Lab, Cambridge CB2 1TN - England

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo LEEH IB USP, Lab Human Evolutionary Studies, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE; v. 35, n. 12, p. 3186-3202, DEC 2008.
• Web of Science Citations: 26

Abstract

Lapa clas Boleiras rockshelter, a Paleoamerican archaeological site in Central Brazil, was intensely occupied by humans from 10,000 C-14 BP (11.8 cal kyr BP), until approximately 7500 C-14 BP (8.4 cal kyr BP). In this paper we present some interpretations about the formation processes operating on the site. One of our main conclusions is that the bulk of accumulated sediments at the site is of anthropogenic origin: they are constituted by volumetrically significant quantities of plant ash remains, what is somewhat unexpectedly in view of prevailing models about the lifestyle of Paleoamerican hunter-gatherers in South America. The evidence we discuss below is also consistent with paleoenvironmental data that suggest a dry period during the mid-Holocene in the region, probably leading to a decrease in human occupation {[}Araujo, A.G.M., Neves, W., Pilo, L.B., Atui, J.P., 2005. Holocene dryness and human Occupation in Brazil during the `Archaic Gap'. Quaternary Research 64, 298-307]. We surmise that both factors underpin a surprising reduction in sediment accumulation at the site during the mid-Holocene. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 99/00670-7 - Origins and microevolution of man in the Americas: a paleoantrhopological approach
• Grantee: Walter Alves Neves
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants