Taphonomy in human skeletal remains from southwest pampean region: the Médano Petroquímica site (Puelén, La Pampa, Argentina)

Taphonomic analysis allows knowing the origin and the possible causes of the differential preservation in bone remains. This knowledge is very useful for approaching bioarchaeological analyzes, as it provides key information on the processes of formation of the bioanthropological record and the envi...

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Autores principales: Bottini, Melina, Arrieta, Mario, Bernardi, Lila
Formato: Artículo revista
Lenguaje:Español
Publicado: Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Museo de Antropología 2020
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Acceso en línea:https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/antropologia/article/view/30056
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Sumario:Taphonomic analysis allows knowing the origin and the possible causes of the differential preservation in bone remains. This knowledge is very useful for approaching bioarchaeological analyzes, as it provides key information on the processes of formation of the bioanthropological record and the environmental conditions of the past. This work focuses on the study of post-depositional processes and agents of non-anthropogenic origin that affected the Médano Petroquímica site, a pre-Hispanic hunter-gatherer cemetery (between 419 ± 46 BP and 363± 45 BP) located in the southwest of the province of La Pampa, Argentina. Taphonomic analyzes were performed on human skeletal remains corresponding to 19 individuals recovered from a single primary burial and three multiple secondary burials. 4179 specimens corresponding to 1829 elements were counted. The results show that multiple burials were similarly affected by the variables considered. Although weathering was the most frequently recorded variable, the action of roots would have had the greatest impact on the integrity of the elements. This experience aims to highlight the importance of taphonomic analysis in human burials to obtain information about the environmental influence on the bioarchaeological record.