Fish and plants: the "hidden" resources in the archaeological record of the north-central patagonian coast (Argentina).

JULIETA GÓMEZ OTERO ; VERÓNICA SCHUSTER; ARIADNA SVODOBA

QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Canada; Año: 2014

1040-6182

Archaeological research conducted from 1990 in the north-central Patagonian coast showed certain discrepancies between the archaeofaunal and the human stable isotopic record. In general, zooarchaeological studies indicated that most faunal remains consisted of guanacos and mollusks, followed by pinnipeds and then small mammals, birds and fish in very low proportions. Unexpectedly, stable isotopes (13C and 15N) from human skeletal samples denoted that all individuals? diet included not only sea resources of high trophic level in variable proportions, but also terrestrial plants. Due to such facts, the need arose to investigate these differences, especially in regards to the less documented resources in the archaeological record: fish and plants. In this paper we present the results of diverse methodological approaches applied to inquire into the role these resources would have played among the native populations of the area through time. The methods includes archaeofaunal and isotope analyses, gas chromatography in ceramic sherds, oral health in human samples, and actualistic studies to explore the impact of post-depositional processes on the fish record. The presence and distribution of technology developed for fishing and processing fish and plants were also assessed.