Zooarchaeological research in the upper Paraná delta: Los tres cerros 1 site (Entre Ríos Province, Argentina)

Authors

  • Laura Bastourre División Arqueología, FCNyM, UNLP; Paseo del Bosque s/n, La Plata, CP 1900, Pcia. de Bs. As.

Abstract

Los Tres Cerros 1 site is part of an archaeological locality that comprises three mound structures located in Las Moras island (Victoria Departament, Entre Ríos Province) dated between 560 and 1030 years BP. Several taxa were identified in the zooarchaeological assemblage, including mammals, birds, freshwater mollusks and fishes. In this article the results of the analysis of bone remains assigned to mammals are presented. This sample belongs to two different sectors identified at the site: the top and the bottom of the mound structure. Taxonomical and anatomical diversity is explored and the taphonomic traces on the bones are assessed in order to compare the past activities carried out in both sectors. The results indicate that rodents, especially Myocastor coypus, are the most abundant taxa of the mammal assemblage and show clear evidence of anthropic processing. Differences between the samples recovered from both sectors (regarding density of bone specimens, taxonomic diversity and specimen size) indicate a spatial structuring of the occupied area. It follows that the bottom of the mound functioned as a midden area for the disposal of secondary refuse generated by the human groups that occupied the site during the Late Holocene.

Keywords:

Upper Paraná Delta, Zooarchaeology, Secondary refuse