MODERN AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL OWL PELLETS AS PALEOENVIRONMENTAL AND TAPHONOMIC MARKERS OF HUMAN OCCUPATION CONTEXTS IN THE ONGAMIRA VALLEY, CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA

MIGNINO,JULIAN; IZETA , ANDRES; CATTANEO ROXANA

journal of archaeological Science: Reports

Elsevier

Lugar: OXFORD; Año: 2018 vol. 18 p. 65 - 77

2352-409x

he presence of microvertebrates in archaeological sites can originate from a variety of causes, including naturalones, such as the regurgitation of various birds of prey. To interpret the origin of these remains becomes therefore of great importance to understand the processes of formation of archaeological sites. On the other hand, the detailed study of these remains can provide complementary data such as the biocenosis composition, paleoenvironments and seasonality, among others. For this purpose, we analyzed current sets of regurgitation pellets of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) from the Alero Deodoro Roca site (ADR), Ongamira, Córdoba, Argentina. The results were compared with those of microvertebrate remains of archaeological origin (ADR) from the Late Holocene (ca. 1900 - 3600 years BP). The comparison allowed to interpret that the greater part of the archaeological assemblages shows the same evidences that those of the pellets of the Barn Owl. On the other hand, it was observed a variability in the representation of taxa related to environmental changes over time, which could be related to Holocenic environmental changes, already described by other studies. The occupations of the rockshelters by the Barn Owl occurred in Autumn-Winter, at which time the site (ADR) would not be occupied so intensely by the human populations.