Great White Shark Teeth Used as Pendants and Possible Tools by Early-Middle Holocene Terrestrial Mammal Hunter-Gatherers in the Eastern Pampas (Southern South America)

CIONE, ALBERTO L.; BONOMO, M.

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology

Willey

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2003 vol. 13 p. 222 - 231

1047-482X

Two great white shark Carcharodon carcharias teeth recovered in a terrestrial mammal hunter-gatherers context in the Pampas are described. Associated lithic (mainly quarzite) tools, and the predominant explotation of the Lama guanicoe relate the ancient inhabitants of the site with those of the early-middle Holocene sites of the Area Interserrana of the Provincia de Buenos Aires. According to the stratigraphic context and the terrestrial fauna, the age of the deposit seems to be constrained between 7 and 5 kyr BP. The root tips of shark teeth present an artificial transversal trench fitted to tie a cord. Edge serrations are strongly eroded what indicates that teeth were used as tools. We favour the hypothesis that the fish could have stranded death on the beach or in a small estuary in the neibourghood and found by humans.