A Blunt Force Trauma Analysis of Interpersonal Violence in Northern Patagonia and Southern Pampa (Argentina): An Experimental Perspective

OTERO, FELIPE; BEGUELIN, MARIEN; GORDÓN, FLORENCIA

Latin American Antiquity

Society for American Archaeology

Año: 2023 p. 1 - 18

1045-6635

The goal of this work is to evaluate the background level of interpersonal violence amongthe human groups that inhabited North Patagonia and South Pampa regions (Argentina)during the Middle and Late Holocene, especially in pre-Hispanic times. To this end, weanalyzed a particular type of trauma (i.e., blunt force trauma) in skull samples fromdifferent archaeological localities. To improve the interpretation of injuries, we comparedour outcomes with those of a previous experimental work. The results agree with what isexpected for small-scale societies and are discussed within the framework of regionalissues. Although the recorded percentages suggest a diachronic increase and higherfrequencies among males than females and subadults, the differences are not statisticallysignificant. In general terms, the level of violence would have remained relativelyconstant during the period studied. Most of the injuries reflect low levels of damage,allowing hypotheses on the effector that would be elements of daily life. A smallerproportion show significant bone alteration that could be associated with weaponsmanufactured to exert violence or hunt animals. We hope that this work is not only acontribution to regional archaeological discussions but also a methodological one.