A taphonomic approach to the icthyoarchaeological assemblage of La Bellaca site 2, Wetland of the lower Paraná river, Pampean Region (Argentina)

ACOSTA, A; D. LOPONTE Y J. MUSALI

Taphonomy and Archaeozoology in Argentina

British Archaeological Reports, International Series

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2007; p. 71 - 88

Fishin was essential part subsistence activities of the hunter-gatherer societies that sporadically or systematically utilized Paraná and de la Plata riversides. All sites located at the lower Parana´s wetland have a regular amount of harpoons destined fishing. At the same time, archaeofaunal assemblages in the area, chronologically dated between 1100 and 700 BP, are quantitatively dominated by bones of siluriforms. The main goal this study is to recognize the cultural and natural origin of fish remains recovered during excavations carried out at La Bellaca site 2 (LB 2), Buenos Aires province, Argentina. This discussion is not only relevant for this deposit, but also for a cluster of archaeological structures located at the Paraná´s Wetland. Several properties of the ichioarchaeological record are taken into account: biodiversity and prey selection, anatomical composition, bone mineral density structure, burnt bones distribution along the skeleton, bone fragmentation and density of fish bone accumulation. Not only the cultural origin was established, but the importance Pterodoras granulosus (armado) (a fish whit migratory habits) as a main prey within the archaeofaunal assemblage, point out the high significance of fishing in hunter-gatherers societies that sistematically or sporadically used wetland of lower Paraná, in the east Pampean region.