Tafonomía ¿Tiranía o multivocalidad?

GUTIERREZ, M. A.

Perspectivas actuales en arqueología argentina

Editorial Dunken

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2009; p. 57 - 87

<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:none; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:ES; layout-grid-mode:line;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> TAPHONOMY: TYRANNY OR MULTIVOCALITY? This paper summarizes the development of taphonomic research conducted in the Interserrana Bonaerense area over the last fifteen years. In general, the different lines of research explored up to the present can be grouped into two main areas, the results of which are reviewed in this paper: 1) studies of faunal material recovered from archaeological sites (i.e., analysis of the taphonomic effects of the archaeological bone assemblages; development and application of methodologies related to the study of the taphonomic effects; and bone diagenesis); and 2) actualistic studies that involve the development of experimental designs (i.e., the differential transport of skeletal parts by water; bone mineral density analysis; systematic observations on bone weathering). It is demonstrated throughout this paper that the integration of a taphonomic perspective into archaeological research enriches our interpretations of the human past. Moreover, the incorporation of taphonomic observations and experiments enables significant advances to be made in the knowledge of bone assemblage integrity and preservation through the generation of new data, the questioning of old ideas, the evaluation of assumptions, and the strengthening of archaeological interpretations.