Books by Fernando Fernández
Fta Miche is an intermittent tributary of the Limay River from its southern
margin in Río Negro P... more Fta Miche is an intermittent tributary of the Limay River from its southern
margin in Río Negro Province, northwestern Patagonia. It flows along a landscape of semiarid plateaus. Lithology is quite varied and features an extensive dispersion of blocks of dacite that provided good flaking stone. In a research area of about 110 km2, different kinds of sites were identified. A synthesis of the results is presented comprising the procurement and circulation of lithic raw material, the pottery, the archaeofaunas and the functional diversity of the sites. Although the guanaco was the main source of food, rheids and small animals were an important complement, with the skunk as a favourite prey.
Epullán Chica cave is located in Collón Curá Department, Neuquén Province, Argentina. It is about... more Epullán Chica cave is located in Collón Curá Department, Neuquén Province, Argentina. It is about 5.5 km from the Limay river (currently dammed). The strata less affected by bioturbation were considered. The stratigraphic sequence was divided in four units: I: 2.2 to 2 ky BP; II: 2 to 1.7 ky BP; III: 1.7 to 1.5 ky BP and IV: 1.5 ky BP to 20thcentury. No pottery was found,although regionally it was in use during the last 1500 years. The lithic industry shows general uniformity throughout the sequence. Cherts were the most employed raw materials, obtained from gravels of Limay river or from basalt vesicles. Dacites and bifacial reduction had little incidence in Epullán Chica. The most numerous tools were end scrapers, followed by grinders and crushers, suggesting emphasis on the processing of organic materials. Five side scrapers and a projectile point were also recovered. Epullán Chica cave would have been used for short-term stays and domestic activity.
Papers by Fernando Fernández
The diet and neo-taphonomy of Glaucidium nana (Aves, Strigiformes), evaluated from pellets and le... more The diet and neo-taphonomy of Glaucidium nana (Aves, Strigiformes), evaluated from pellets and leftover prey recovered in nest-boxes from a National Park of southeastern Patagonia are studied. Comparative evaluations are conducted with microvertebrate samples obtained from other raptors, particularly those of G. brasilianum from the Chaco forest in Argentina. The diet of G. nana reported here agrees with the generalist trophic behaviour of this species already documented, which feeds on invertebrate (insects and arachnids) and vertebrate prey (amphibian, reptiles, birds and mammals), mainly caviomorph rodents heavier than itself. The taphonomic attributes allow us to place the two species of Glaucidium in the moderate modification category. They could deposit their diet remains in several open-air sites, mainly in wooded and rocky areas, where the cavity nests are located. Later, their bone accumulation-composed of microvertebrates with evidence of moderate bone modifications and/or with articulated skulls and limb bones without digestive corrosion-might integrate into the lithosphere. Understanding the trophic interactions between predators and prey, and their taphonomic signatures, as well as identifying their nesting areas, is crucial for archaeology/palaeontology analysis and for developing effective conservation and management strategies within protected areas.
Latin American Antiquity, 2023
Hydraulic mills were introduced in the early colonial period in the Americas to grind wheat into ... more Hydraulic mills were introduced in the early colonial period in the Americas to grind wheat into flour. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the rise of the agro-export model in Latin America shaped the development of a flour industry in which water-powered mills played a central role. Over time, these technologies were used not only to increase production for the export market but also to meet the needs of domestic consumption, both local and regional. In this context, in 2017 we began to investigate the characteristics of a hydraulic mill, currently in disuse, in the town of Payogasta in the province of Salta (Argentina), to determine its chronology and functionality. In addition to surveying the structure, we conducted excavations in the nearby rooms that were part of the site. We found that this mill was in operation between the end of the nineteenth and the end of the twentieth centuries, grinding wheat, corn, carob, and red bell pepper, and that the adjoining rooms were used to house the people who were waiting their turn to grind their raw materials.
The Holocene, 2024
The studies of the small mammal fossil and recent assemblages from the Limay river basin (Northwe... more The studies of the small mammal fossil and recent assemblages from the Limay river basin (Northwestern Patagonia) have strongly increased during the last decade. Taxonomic, taphonomic, and paleoecological information about small rodents and marsupials recovered from fossil sites offers the opportunity to discuss the periods of change and stability in the conformation of their communities through the Anthropocene. Here, we used two large data matrix of fossil and recent small mammal samples. As starting point, we considered the small mammal record of Epullán Grande cave (LL thereafter), which covers the Early Holocene/Post-hispanic Period, in order to assess the impact of anthropic activities on the small mammal communities during the Anthropocene. The taphonomic analysis performed on the newness samples from LL confirms the predatory activity of Tyto furcata on sigmodontines and human consumption on caviomorphs (mostly for the last ca. 1000 years). The analysis of manganese oxide staining suggested higher levels of moisture during the earliest formation of the LL sequence. The taxonomic results indicate a major diversity in the small mammal fossil assemblages to the later periods of LL and other fossil sequences of the Limay basin of the Anthropocene. Conversely, opportunistic sigmodontines (Abrothrix olivacea, Calomys musculinus, Eligmodontia spp. and Oligoryzomys longicaudatus) experienced a growth in the recent samples. Some stenoic and specialist species (Euneomys spp., Lestodelphys halli, Loxodontomys micropus and Reithrodon auritus) were abundant in the temporal units associated with the Anthropocene, but now are in retraction. Additionally, the drop in the diversity of recent assemblages supports a restructuration of small mammal communities from Limay river basin occurred in the 20th century.
Historical Biology, 2022
Salamanca cave (southern Mendoza province) is in the Andean piedmont, a transitional area in whic... more Salamanca cave (southern Mendoza province) is in the Andean piedmont, a transitional area in which small mammal communities may have been affected by climatic pulses. The site yields three archaeological components covering from the early to the late-Holocene with a mid-Holocene occupational and sedimentological hiatus. Taphonomic analyses of the small mammal assemblages indicate that barn owls (Tyto furcata) were the main accumulation agent, ensuring accurate palaeoecological inferences. Taxonomic composition of the site shows the dominance of Eligmodontia sp. followed by Thylamys pallidior, Phyllotis cf. P. vaccarum-pehuenche and Ctenomys sp., all of them indicative of shrubland and bare ground habitats. Palaeoclimatic inferences indicate a trend to warmer temperatures from the lower to the upper component with a slight increase in humidity in the middle component. This humid pulse is also supported by postdepositional taphonomic processes. The taxonomic structure and abundance of small mammals do not show deep changes amongst the three archaeological components, following the general trend observed in other archaeological sites from the Pampean region, southern Mendoza province and the arid and semi-arid zones of north Patagonia, in which changes in the taxonomic composition of small mammal communities are almost absent since Pleistocene-Holocene transition to late Holocene.
Quaternary, 2022
Experiments based on the premise of uniformitarism are an effective tool to establish patterns of... more Experiments based on the premise of uniformitarism are an effective tool to establish patterns of taphonomic processes acting either before, or after, burial. One process that has been extensively investigated experimentally is the impact of trampling to large mammal bones. Since
trampling marks caused by sedimentary friction strongly mimic cut marks made by humans using stone tools during butchery, distinguishing the origin of such modifications is especially relevant to the study of human evolution. In contrast, damage resulting from trampling on small mammal fossil bones has received less attention, despite the fact that it may solve interesting problems relating to site formation processes. While it has been observed that the impact of compression depends on the type of substrate and dryness of the skeletal elements, the fragility of small mammal bones may imply that they will break as a response to compression. Here, we have undertaken a controlled experiment using material resistance compression equipment to simulate a preliminary experiment, previously devised by one of us, on human trampling of owl pellets. Our results demonstrate that
different patterns of breakage can be distinguished under wet and dry conditions in mandibles, skulls and long bones that deform or break in a consistent way. Further, small compact bones almost always remain intact, resisting breakage under compression. The pattern obtained here was applied to a Pleistocene small mammal fossil assemblage from Wonderwerk Cave (South Africa). This collection showed unusually extensive breakage and skeletal element representation that could not be entirely explained by excavation procedures or digestion by the predator. We propose that trampling was a significant factor in small mammal bone destruction at Wonderwerk Cave, partly the product of trampling caused by the raptor that introduced the microfauna into the cave, as well as by hominins and other terrestrial animals that entered the cave and trampled pellets covering the cave floor.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY, 2022
Micro- and macromammal remains from Cerro La Bota (late Miocene; La Pampa Province, Argentina) ar... more Micro- and macromammal remains from Cerro La Bota (late Miocene; La Pampa Province, Argentina) are taphonomically analysed. All remains form a single sample recovered from Chasicoan sediments (facies FA2)
of the Cerro Azul Formation, constituted by a lateral and vertical erosive superposition of sandstone and conglomeratic bodies, formed by episodic development of perennial streams without flow division on a loessic substrate. The analysis reveals that micro- and macromammal remains originally accumulated independently and differently. Once each type of accumulation was buried in a loessic context, the development of streams gave place to a reworking process of fossils that were finally incorporated together into the stream channel. Taphonomic characteristics of micromammals are interpreted as the result of the leftover prey accumulated by predators, probably at a den site. Instead, the macromammals respond to an attritional accumulation of individuals inhabiting the area. Even considering the reworking as an important
process that affected this assemblage, the taxonomic and taphonomic evidences suggest a relatively short time for its formation. The different taphonomic histories of the remains evidence a complex association that
differs from other assemblages from the Cerro Azul Formation previously analysed, and it is here assigned to the channel-lag taphonomic mode.
The Holocene, 2022
Pseudoryzomys simplex (Winge 1887) is a small to medium sized terrestrial oryzomyine rodent (Cric... more Pseudoryzomys simplex (Winge 1887) is a small to medium sized terrestrial oryzomyine rodent (Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae) widely distributed in humid environments of tropical and subtropical lowlands of South America with a marked rainy season. The occurrence of this species in the south-central Pampean region between 4700 and 200 ka cal BP was originally associated with some warm climatic episodes. A later hypothesis points out that P. simplex was a typical element of the Humid Pampa subregion during this period, whose distribution was retracted to the north due to the strong anthropic modifications in the area. To corroborate these hypotheses, the niche of occurrence of P. simplex was calculated to analyse the preferred climatic conditions of contemporaneous and fossil record of the species since 4700 ka cal BP. The derived climatic niche of P. simplex shows a marked preference for areas with seasonality precipitation patterns and tropical/subtropical conditions. Geographical estimations and climatic niches derived revealed a moderate overlapping between contemporaneous and Pampean late-Holocene projection, which in no case includes the localities where fossil data were found. Although a better comprehension of the ecological requirements of the species is necessary to discard a shift in its realized climatic niche, it is probable that P. simplex is able to maintain stable populations under similar conditions to the ones represented by fossil occurrences. The distribution of the species in the Humid Pampa subregion is probably affected by non-climatic factors today which are reducing its contemporaneous realized climatic niche and distorting the derived climatic niches obtained. These results support that this species cannot be considered a reliable palaeoclimatic indicator of more Brazilian conditions in the Humid Pampean subregion during the past.
Arqueología, 2022
This study presents a zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of Álvarez 4 site, a rockshelter ... more This study presents a zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of Álvarez 4 site, a rockshelter located in the middle basin of the Limay river, northwestern Patagonia, Río Negro province, Argentina. Faunistic remains come from Period I (1100 ± 70 14C BP), Period II (210 ± 90 14C BP), the anthropically altered square C3 and the Surface Layer (210 ± 90 14C BP). A low incidence of postdepositional processes was determined. The action of other taphonomic processes such as sedimentary disturbance due to anthropic causes and possible bone migration was recorded. A notable part of the remains entered the site as a discard of human food and tool manufacture. Lama guanicoe was the most exploited taxon in the site, although with some variations across the sequence. In C3, the exploitation of Leopardus sp. was recorded. In Period I, the taxa Diplodon chilensis, Lama guanicoe, Conepatus chinga and Chaetophractus
villosus were exploited. In Period II, the incorporation of various taxa (Rhea pennata, Lycalopex gymnocercus, Zaedyus pichiy, Lagidium viscacia and unidentified Caviinae) suggests a broader diet. The exotic fauna found in the Surface Layer, Ovis orientalis aries and Lepus europaeus, were not included in the human economy.
Revista del Museo de La Plata, 2022
The lithic industry at the Cañadón Las Coloradas 1 site, a milling site in northwestern Argentine... more The lithic industry at the Cañadón Las Coloradas 1 site, a milling site in northwestern Argentine Patagonia.
The goal of this paper is characterizing technologically, typologically and functionally the lithic industry of the Cañadón Las Coloradas 1 rock shelter (CLC1). This archaeological site is located in the area of Alicurá, in the middle basin of the Limay River, Río Negro province, Argentina. It was frequented from the final late Holocene (1525 ± 80 14C BP) to historical times (findings of exotic faunal remains). From the entire pre-Hispanic sequence of CLC1, abundant medium and large fluvial cobbles of volcanic, plutonic and metamorphic rocks were recovered, which, summarily flaked, were used by percussion and friction andresharpened in situ. We call them pounders ('machacadores'). The range of CLC1 instruments shows high
richness, low diversity and a composition quite different from those of other archaeological sites close in space and time. We interpret CLC1 to have had brief non-residential occupations, specialized in milling tasks, with workshop activity for the production and reactivation of massive lithic instruments that worked by friction. These characteristics give it a peculiar role in the area during the late Holocene in a regional framework of intensification of resource exploitation. Although the products that were ground in CLC1 are still unknown, the existence of this site implies a different use of the space, more organized than in previous times.
Intersecciones en Antropología, 2021
This study provides an integral analysis of the taxonomic and
paleoenvironmental evidence of the ... more This study provides an integral analysis of the taxonomic and
paleoenvironmental evidence of the micromammal assemblages recovered from the archaeological sites located in the middle valley of the Negro river and neighboring southern areas (Northeastern Patagonia). As
current parameter, several samples (mostly novel) of micromammals derived from pellets of raptors collected in the area were also included. The general matrix of the micromammal assemblages of the middle valley of the Negro river reflects the arid conditions of Monte during the last 1 000 years BP. However, the presence of Holochilus vulpinus in the Negro and Limay rivers probably responds to its advance during Holocene warm and humid episodes, with the subsequent retraction during the Little Ice Age. On the other hand, the micromammal assemblages of the Sierras de Pailemán indicate arid and semi-arid conditions of the ecotone Monte and Patagonian steppes between 3 500 and 1 800 years BP. Recent pellet samples point out the regional retraction of some species (the aforementioned H. vulpinus in the river courses, and the marsupial Lestodelphys halli and the caviomorph Tympanoctomys kirchnerorum in Pailemán), the marked decrease in abundance of grassland-associated species such as the sigmodontine Reithrodon auritus, and the dominance of opportunistic sigmodontines (Graomys griseoflavus, Oligoryzomys longicaudatus, Calomys musculinus and Eligmodontia sp.), these latter more flexible to anthropization processes.
Boreas, 2022
Here we present the first fossil record of a bone assemblage that could have been accumulated by ... more Here we present the first fossil record of a bone assemblage that could have been accumulated by New World vultures (Cathartidae). The bone remains were found in an archaeological rockshelter called Gruta do Presepio (GPR), located in the tropical rainforest environment of Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil, where groups of hunters and gatherers lived from the Early to Middle Holocene (9.3–4.6 cal. ka BP) until the Late Holocene (1.3 cal. ka BP). The
results of taphonomic analysis of the archaeological sample are comparedwith actualistic taphonomic modifications
produced by New World vultures. The findings of autopodials (mainly phalanges) of medium and large mammals, with a high degree of digestive corrosion but without tooth marks, could be related to the pellet deposit pattern of New World vultures. Seven mammal taxa associated with a forest environment were identified, four of which were obtained from pellets deposited by Cathartidae; these included some native taxa (Cervidae, Dasypodidae, Felidae and Tayassuidae) that are frequently consumed today by these scavenger birds. The bone and tooth remains
contained in the pellets regurgitated by Cathartidae were found together with faunal remains discarded by humans that lived in GPR from the Early to the Late Holocene. This palimpsest highlightsthe relevance of archaeological and actualistic taphonomic studies.
Holochilus lagigliai) and regional extirpations (e.g., Cavia aperea, Lestodelphys halli, Octomys ... more Holochilus lagigliai) and regional extirpations (e.g., Cavia aperea, Lestodelphys halli, Octomys mimax, Reithrodon auritus), differences between past and present communities from northern and southern Mendoza also were detected. Thus for example, through the application of THI a slightly higher proportion of species associated with open areas of low vegetation coverage, was observed in modern assemblages than in those of the late Holocene. We identified areas lacking modern raptor pellet samples as well as other areas with inadequate information due to sample sizes.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2021
This study provides a taphonomic and paleoenvironmental analysis of the micromammal (<1 kg) accum... more This study provides a taphonomic and paleoenvironmental analysis of the micromammal (<1 kg) accumulations from the archaeological site Álvarez 4 (AZ4), a rock shelter located at the middle basin of the Limay River, Río Negro Province, northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. Based on taphonomic and taxonomic features, several skeletal remains accumulated in Period I (963 cal. BP), Period II (187 cal. BP), and square C3 (963 cal. BP) are assigned to the action of Strigiformes, while pellets found in the surface layer (SL) (187 cal. BP) would have been deposited by Accipitriformes. Pellet bones were more protected from trampling than bones recovered from the sieved sediments of the SL. In addition, some Caviidae remains from Period II and square C3 were likely incorporated in human consumption. This low-ranked resource might have complemented the otherwise high-ranked animals found in Álvarez 4, which would suggest a similar diet breadth to that frequently seen at several archaeological sites in the area. The paleoenvironmental analysis based on the small mammals recovered from AZ4 shows the development of open areas of shrubby-grassy Patagonian steppe and large rocky outcrops with overall stability of habitats, with a dominance of shrublands and steppes in the last ~1000 years. Past environments were more heterogeneous than today, as evidenced by the absence of some species and the expansion of opportunistic species in the modern pellet samples near to the rock shelter.
Quaternary Research, 2021
We conducted the first taphonomic and paleoenvironmental study based on late Pleistocene-Holocene... more We conducted the first taphonomic and paleoenvironmental study based on late Pleistocene-Holocene small mammal remains recovered from the famous Mylodon Cave (Cerro Benítez area, Última Esperanza, Chile). Most of the analyzed material came from the extensive excavations made by Earl Saxon in 1976. We also studied late Holocene small mammal samples of the neighboring rock shelter Dos Herraduras 1. Analyzed remains were mostly produced by owls, probably living inside the caves. In Mylodon Cave, the higher values of girdle bones are consistent with a windblown litter. We recorded nine species of rodents, seven cricetids, and two caviomorphs; almost all the identified taxa integrate recent local communities. Late Pleistocene-Holocene assemblages are characterized by the chinchilla rat Euneomys, indicating unforested areas around the caves under cold and moist climatic conditions. Middle Holocene amelioration is reflected by incremental rodent species richness, including the first record of taxa clearly associated with forest (e.g., Abrothrix lanosa). Late Holocene assemblages are markedly stable, indicating local conditions similar to the current (historical) environment. Quaternary rodents from Cerro Benítez area do not indicate abrupt environmental changes during middle-late Holocene, but a progressive trend towards forest increase.
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Books by Fernando Fernández
margin in Río Negro Province, northwestern Patagonia. It flows along a landscape of semiarid plateaus. Lithology is quite varied and features an extensive dispersion of blocks of dacite that provided good flaking stone. In a research area of about 110 km2, different kinds of sites were identified. A synthesis of the results is presented comprising the procurement and circulation of lithic raw material, the pottery, the archaeofaunas and the functional diversity of the sites. Although the guanaco was the main source of food, rheids and small animals were an important complement, with the skunk as a favourite prey.
Papers by Fernando Fernández
trampling marks caused by sedimentary friction strongly mimic cut marks made by humans using stone tools during butchery, distinguishing the origin of such modifications is especially relevant to the study of human evolution. In contrast, damage resulting from trampling on small mammal fossil bones has received less attention, despite the fact that it may solve interesting problems relating to site formation processes. While it has been observed that the impact of compression depends on the type of substrate and dryness of the skeletal elements, the fragility of small mammal bones may imply that they will break as a response to compression. Here, we have undertaken a controlled experiment using material resistance compression equipment to simulate a preliminary experiment, previously devised by one of us, on human trampling of owl pellets. Our results demonstrate that
different patterns of breakage can be distinguished under wet and dry conditions in mandibles, skulls and long bones that deform or break in a consistent way. Further, small compact bones almost always remain intact, resisting breakage under compression. The pattern obtained here was applied to a Pleistocene small mammal fossil assemblage from Wonderwerk Cave (South Africa). This collection showed unusually extensive breakage and skeletal element representation that could not be entirely explained by excavation procedures or digestion by the predator. We propose that trampling was a significant factor in small mammal bone destruction at Wonderwerk Cave, partly the product of trampling caused by the raptor that introduced the microfauna into the cave, as well as by hominins and other terrestrial animals that entered the cave and trampled pellets covering the cave floor.
of the Cerro Azul Formation, constituted by a lateral and vertical erosive superposition of sandstone and conglomeratic bodies, formed by episodic development of perennial streams without flow division on a loessic substrate. The analysis reveals that micro- and macromammal remains originally accumulated independently and differently. Once each type of accumulation was buried in a loessic context, the development of streams gave place to a reworking process of fossils that were finally incorporated together into the stream channel. Taphonomic characteristics of micromammals are interpreted as the result of the leftover prey accumulated by predators, probably at a den site. Instead, the macromammals respond to an attritional accumulation of individuals inhabiting the area. Even considering the reworking as an important
process that affected this assemblage, the taxonomic and taphonomic evidences suggest a relatively short time for its formation. The different taphonomic histories of the remains evidence a complex association that
differs from other assemblages from the Cerro Azul Formation previously analysed, and it is here assigned to the channel-lag taphonomic mode.
villosus were exploited. In Period II, the incorporation of various taxa (Rhea pennata, Lycalopex gymnocercus, Zaedyus pichiy, Lagidium viscacia and unidentified Caviinae) suggests a broader diet. The exotic fauna found in the Surface Layer, Ovis orientalis aries and Lepus europaeus, were not included in the human economy.
The goal of this paper is characterizing technologically, typologically and functionally the lithic industry of the Cañadón Las Coloradas 1 rock shelter (CLC1). This archaeological site is located in the area of Alicurá, in the middle basin of the Limay River, Río Negro province, Argentina. It was frequented from the final late Holocene (1525 ± 80 14C BP) to historical times (findings of exotic faunal remains). From the entire pre-Hispanic sequence of CLC1, abundant medium and large fluvial cobbles of volcanic, plutonic and metamorphic rocks were recovered, which, summarily flaked, were used by percussion and friction andresharpened in situ. We call them pounders ('machacadores'). The range of CLC1 instruments shows high
richness, low diversity and a composition quite different from those of other archaeological sites close in space and time. We interpret CLC1 to have had brief non-residential occupations, specialized in milling tasks, with workshop activity for the production and reactivation of massive lithic instruments that worked by friction. These characteristics give it a peculiar role in the area during the late Holocene in a regional framework of intensification of resource exploitation. Although the products that were ground in CLC1 are still unknown, the existence of this site implies a different use of the space, more organized than in previous times.
paleoenvironmental evidence of the micromammal assemblages recovered from the archaeological sites located in the middle valley of the Negro river and neighboring southern areas (Northeastern Patagonia). As
current parameter, several samples (mostly novel) of micromammals derived from pellets of raptors collected in the area were also included. The general matrix of the micromammal assemblages of the middle valley of the Negro river reflects the arid conditions of Monte during the last 1 000 years BP. However, the presence of Holochilus vulpinus in the Negro and Limay rivers probably responds to its advance during Holocene warm and humid episodes, with the subsequent retraction during the Little Ice Age. On the other hand, the micromammal assemblages of the Sierras de Pailemán indicate arid and semi-arid conditions of the ecotone Monte and Patagonian steppes between 3 500 and 1 800 years BP. Recent pellet samples point out the regional retraction of some species (the aforementioned H. vulpinus in the river courses, and the marsupial Lestodelphys halli and the caviomorph Tympanoctomys kirchnerorum in Pailemán), the marked decrease in abundance of grassland-associated species such as the sigmodontine Reithrodon auritus, and the dominance of opportunistic sigmodontines (Graomys griseoflavus, Oligoryzomys longicaudatus, Calomys musculinus and Eligmodontia sp.), these latter more flexible to anthropization processes.
results of taphonomic analysis of the archaeological sample are comparedwith actualistic taphonomic modifications
produced by New World vultures. The findings of autopodials (mainly phalanges) of medium and large mammals, with a high degree of digestive corrosion but without tooth marks, could be related to the pellet deposit pattern of New World vultures. Seven mammal taxa associated with a forest environment were identified, four of which were obtained from pellets deposited by Cathartidae; these included some native taxa (Cervidae, Dasypodidae, Felidae and Tayassuidae) that are frequently consumed today by these scavenger birds. The bone and tooth remains
contained in the pellets regurgitated by Cathartidae were found together with faunal remains discarded by humans that lived in GPR from the Early to the Late Holocene. This palimpsest highlightsthe relevance of archaeological and actualistic taphonomic studies.
margin in Río Negro Province, northwestern Patagonia. It flows along a landscape of semiarid plateaus. Lithology is quite varied and features an extensive dispersion of blocks of dacite that provided good flaking stone. In a research area of about 110 km2, different kinds of sites were identified. A synthesis of the results is presented comprising the procurement and circulation of lithic raw material, the pottery, the archaeofaunas and the functional diversity of the sites. Although the guanaco was the main source of food, rheids and small animals were an important complement, with the skunk as a favourite prey.
trampling marks caused by sedimentary friction strongly mimic cut marks made by humans using stone tools during butchery, distinguishing the origin of such modifications is especially relevant to the study of human evolution. In contrast, damage resulting from trampling on small mammal fossil bones has received less attention, despite the fact that it may solve interesting problems relating to site formation processes. While it has been observed that the impact of compression depends on the type of substrate and dryness of the skeletal elements, the fragility of small mammal bones may imply that they will break as a response to compression. Here, we have undertaken a controlled experiment using material resistance compression equipment to simulate a preliminary experiment, previously devised by one of us, on human trampling of owl pellets. Our results demonstrate that
different patterns of breakage can be distinguished under wet and dry conditions in mandibles, skulls and long bones that deform or break in a consistent way. Further, small compact bones almost always remain intact, resisting breakage under compression. The pattern obtained here was applied to a Pleistocene small mammal fossil assemblage from Wonderwerk Cave (South Africa). This collection showed unusually extensive breakage and skeletal element representation that could not be entirely explained by excavation procedures or digestion by the predator. We propose that trampling was a significant factor in small mammal bone destruction at Wonderwerk Cave, partly the product of trampling caused by the raptor that introduced the microfauna into the cave, as well as by hominins and other terrestrial animals that entered the cave and trampled pellets covering the cave floor.
of the Cerro Azul Formation, constituted by a lateral and vertical erosive superposition of sandstone and conglomeratic bodies, formed by episodic development of perennial streams without flow division on a loessic substrate. The analysis reveals that micro- and macromammal remains originally accumulated independently and differently. Once each type of accumulation was buried in a loessic context, the development of streams gave place to a reworking process of fossils that were finally incorporated together into the stream channel. Taphonomic characteristics of micromammals are interpreted as the result of the leftover prey accumulated by predators, probably at a den site. Instead, the macromammals respond to an attritional accumulation of individuals inhabiting the area. Even considering the reworking as an important
process that affected this assemblage, the taxonomic and taphonomic evidences suggest a relatively short time for its formation. The different taphonomic histories of the remains evidence a complex association that
differs from other assemblages from the Cerro Azul Formation previously analysed, and it is here assigned to the channel-lag taphonomic mode.
villosus were exploited. In Period II, the incorporation of various taxa (Rhea pennata, Lycalopex gymnocercus, Zaedyus pichiy, Lagidium viscacia and unidentified Caviinae) suggests a broader diet. The exotic fauna found in the Surface Layer, Ovis orientalis aries and Lepus europaeus, were not included in the human economy.
The goal of this paper is characterizing technologically, typologically and functionally the lithic industry of the Cañadón Las Coloradas 1 rock shelter (CLC1). This archaeological site is located in the area of Alicurá, in the middle basin of the Limay River, Río Negro province, Argentina. It was frequented from the final late Holocene (1525 ± 80 14C BP) to historical times (findings of exotic faunal remains). From the entire pre-Hispanic sequence of CLC1, abundant medium and large fluvial cobbles of volcanic, plutonic and metamorphic rocks were recovered, which, summarily flaked, were used by percussion and friction andresharpened in situ. We call them pounders ('machacadores'). The range of CLC1 instruments shows high
richness, low diversity and a composition quite different from those of other archaeological sites close in space and time. We interpret CLC1 to have had brief non-residential occupations, specialized in milling tasks, with workshop activity for the production and reactivation of massive lithic instruments that worked by friction. These characteristics give it a peculiar role in the area during the late Holocene in a regional framework of intensification of resource exploitation. Although the products that were ground in CLC1 are still unknown, the existence of this site implies a different use of the space, more organized than in previous times.
paleoenvironmental evidence of the micromammal assemblages recovered from the archaeological sites located in the middle valley of the Negro river and neighboring southern areas (Northeastern Patagonia). As
current parameter, several samples (mostly novel) of micromammals derived from pellets of raptors collected in the area were also included. The general matrix of the micromammal assemblages of the middle valley of the Negro river reflects the arid conditions of Monte during the last 1 000 years BP. However, the presence of Holochilus vulpinus in the Negro and Limay rivers probably responds to its advance during Holocene warm and humid episodes, with the subsequent retraction during the Little Ice Age. On the other hand, the micromammal assemblages of the Sierras de Pailemán indicate arid and semi-arid conditions of the ecotone Monte and Patagonian steppes between 3 500 and 1 800 years BP. Recent pellet samples point out the regional retraction of some species (the aforementioned H. vulpinus in the river courses, and the marsupial Lestodelphys halli and the caviomorph Tympanoctomys kirchnerorum in Pailemán), the marked decrease in abundance of grassland-associated species such as the sigmodontine Reithrodon auritus, and the dominance of opportunistic sigmodontines (Graomys griseoflavus, Oligoryzomys longicaudatus, Calomys musculinus and Eligmodontia sp.), these latter more flexible to anthropization processes.
results of taphonomic analysis of the archaeological sample are comparedwith actualistic taphonomic modifications
produced by New World vultures. The findings of autopodials (mainly phalanges) of medium and large mammals, with a high degree of digestive corrosion but without tooth marks, could be related to the pellet deposit pattern of New World vultures. Seven mammal taxa associated with a forest environment were identified, four of which were obtained from pellets deposited by Cathartidae; these included some native taxa (Cervidae, Dasypodidae, Felidae and Tayassuidae) that are frequently consumed today by these scavenger birds. The bone and tooth remains
contained in the pellets regurgitated by Cathartidae were found together with faunal remains discarded by humans that lived in GPR from the Early to the Late Holocene. This palimpsest highlightsthe relevance of archaeological and actualistic taphonomic studies.
shows, however, important climatic instability well documented in the Northern Hemisphere. These
fluctuations from colder to warmer or wetter to drier affected both biodiversity and human societies in
the last 12,000 years, although the impact in Southern America is still poorly known. We are here
investigating the biodiversity of small mammal faunas, more sensitive to climatic changes than large
mammals, combining taphonomic and palaeoecological data in the Argentine Pampas to better understand the global nature and effect of these Holocene climatic fluctuations. This paper is pioneering
applying in this region palaeoecological methodologies practised in European sites, such as the chorotype classification and biomes overlap analyses. The Pampean Region is an ecotone with a confluence of
three climatic regions where any change in climatic conditions should be easily detected. Our results,
based on the palaeoecological requirements of small mammals, do not indicate severe changes, and most
of the sites show climatic stability except for one of them, in which a possible trend towards present
conditions (temperate/humid) can be inferred.
researchers. The site known as Guampachais located in the homonymous town, near the eastern hill side of the mountain range. A survey led to observation of pottery sherds on the surface over an area of approximately 27,500 m2. In addition, another settlement called Veliz was recorded, 450 m northeast from Guampacha. At both sites, field work recovered pottery sherds, lithic items and archaeofaunal remains; furthermore, human remains were also found at the Guampacha site. Each of the materials was analyzed following specific methodological
approaches. The goal of this work is to present the advances and results obtained from acomprehensive analysis of the archaeological context, the remains recovered and the interpretation of the landscape of Guampachatown. Both sites correspond to the agro-ceramic period of the region. They are interpreted as multiple-activity sites, including preparation and consumption of food (faunal remains recovered with evidence of processing), stone tool-making (projectile points and flakes) and pottery sherds. The latter include the different styles characteristic
of the plains of Santiago del Estero, with a predominance of the Sunchitúyoj style at both sites. However, the differential association with other ceramic styles leads us to propose that each site corresponds to different moments of occupation of the area. In addition, the presence of foreign ceramic styles and fauna that would not be available in the area suggests interaction with other areas of the province (Mesopotamian) and other regions (e.g. Argentinian Northwest Valliserrana and Sierras Centrales region). Finally, it was possible to identify differentiated milling zones through the surveys in the area. Although our researchin this area is only beginning, the analysis of the materials recovered and the continuity of the investigations will provide a better understanding of the past in the Guasayán mountains, especially regarding the interaction of its inhabitants with other areas of Santiago del Estero province and other extra-provincial regions.
magellanicus, con la única ocurrencia de Eligmodontia cf. E. morgani, un sigmodontino hoy día extinguido en la Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, pero con poblaciones en el extremo sur continental. Estos conjuntos sugieren paleoambientes hostiles, dominados por pedregales con escaso desarrollo de cobertura herbácea, bajo condiciones de frío intenso. En las muestras de los niveles del Holoceno tardío (ca. 1,3 ka-presente) son abundantes Reithrodon auritus y C. magellanicus y muestran una declinación de E. chinchilloides; se registran, además, especies que ocurren típicamente en la zona boscosa del sur de Tierra del Fuego (e.g. Abrothrix lanosa, Oligoryzomys longicaudatus). Estos
conjuntos señalan un mejoramiento en las condiciones ambientales, acompañado de la implantación de estepas herbáceas y arbustivas y, quizás, expansión de la línea de bosque. Tafonómicamente, los
agregados pleistocénicos revelan un origen mayoritario en acumulaciones generadas por mamíferos carniceros, mientras que aquellos holocénicos sugieren un origen múltiple en egagrópilas de aves
rapaces nocturnas (particularmente para los restos de sigmodontinos) y consumo antrópico (para una parte de aquellos de Ctenomys). La integración de esta evidencia con aquella proveniente de otros
archivos paleoclimáticos (e.g. polen) refleja una buena concordancia.