Archaeofaunas, oral health, and human stable isotopes: exploring intensification in hunter-gatherers subsistence during the Late Holocene in arid North- eastern Patagonia (Argentina)

LUCIANA STOESSEL; GUSTAVO FLENSBORG; GUSTAVO MARTÍNEZ; ANA PAULA ALCARAZ; FLORENCIA SANTOS

Memphis

Congreso; 77th Annual Meeting de la Society for American Archaeology; 2012

77th Annual Meeting de la Society for American Archaeology

In the arid-semiarid lower basin of the Colorado River (eastearn pampean-patagonian transition, Argentina) subsistence patterns of hunter-gatherers groups underwent a change towards the Final Late Holocene (1000-250 years BP). Archaeofaunal analysis indicates the development of a resource diversification strategy, including terrestrial, marine and freshwater species to diet. A process of economic intensification on some of these resources and also probably on vegetable resources is proposed. In this paper, other lines of evidence such as oral health and human stable isotopes are discussed for the purpose of exploring more deeply the effects of intensification in subsistence patterns.