Analyses of the faunal assemblage of Paso Otero 4 (Buenos Aires province, Argentina). New evidences of the intensification process in the pampean region

MARÍA CLARA ALVAREZ; CRISTIAN KAUFMANN; MARÍA A. GUTIÉRREZ; GUSTAVO MARTÍNEZ

París

Congreso; 11th International Conference of Archaeozoology; 2010

Muséum National d´Histoire Naturelle

Paso Otero 4 is a multicomonent open air site located in the middlebasin of the Quequén Grande River, Pampean region, BuenosAires province, Argentina. This site has been recently excavated(2008-2010) and a great diversity of faunal evidence were recovereddated to the Early and Middle Holocene. The aim of this paperis to present the results of the zooarchaeological and taxonomicalanalyses conducted to the faunal assemblages of Paso Otero 4, andto discuss the contribution of this site to former subsistence modelsproposed for this region for Early and Middle Holocene. Moreover,the site yielded evidences for discussing the survival of Pleistocenefauna into the Early Holocene. The results show evidence of butcheringand consumption of at least 6 species, such as guanaco (Lamaguanicoe), pampean deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), ñandú (Rheaamericana), patagonian hare (Dolichotis patagonum), viscacha (Lagostomusmaximus), skunk (Conepatus sp.), and different speciesof armadillos. Among the armadillos, several elements of Eutatusseguini, an extinct species, with clear evidences of consumptionwere recovered. Also, bones of an extinct fox (Dusycion avus) wereidentified.