New taphonomic approach applied to the Late Pleistocene bone remains from Pikimachay Cave, Ayacucho Basin, Peru: possible implications for the debate on human colonisation of western South America. (original) (raw)
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A New View on the Late Pleistocene Lithic Remains from Pikimachay Cave, South Central Peru
Archaeological discovery, 2022
Between 1966 and 1972, Richard MacNeish led the "Ayacucho Archaeological-Botanical Project" in the Ayacucho Basin, south-central Peru. Over the last decade, we reappraised the lithics recovered in this endeavor. As part of this research, we carried out a detailed review of the lithic remains from the lowest strata of Pikimachay Cave. We concluded that the lithics from layers tentatively dated at about 14,000 uncalibrated yr BP are human-made artifacts, while those from the underlying levels are not. Because of the anthropic nature of the flaked artifacts, their stratigraphic position, chronology, and similarities with other likely coeval lithic assemblages, the Pikimachay record seems to be a good candidate for witnessing possible Paleoamerican foragers living in Ayacucho during the Late Pleistocene.
Early human remains from Baño Nuevo-1 cave, central Patagonian Andes, Chile
Quaternary International, 2003
The notable sparseness of human skeletal remains is a characteristic trait of early American prehistory and, therefore, this aspect of the archaeological record is seldom considered in its discussion. In this context, the finding of remains from five individuals dated to the 9th millenium BP on the re-excavations at Ba * no Nuevo Cave (Andean Central Patagonia, Chile) is particularly interesting. They may not appear excessively old, but several radiocarbon dates (two of them done through AMS directly on the bone of one of the individuals) place them among the very few well-dated early human skeletons throughout the Americas. The small sample size militates against any interpretation of biological affiliation (to say nothing of population movements) and we can only affirm that these people belonged to a generalized ''mongoloid stock'', different from historically known Patagonian populations. After a brief presentation of the skeletal evidence and the bone dating methods, we evaluate the relevance of this context with respect to the sparse osteological record of humans in the Americas on the Pleistocene/Holocene transition.
A Re-Appraisal of the Early Andean Human Remains from Lauricocha in Peru
PloS one, 2015
The discovery of human remains from the Lauricocha cave in the Central Andean highlands in the 1960's provided the first direct evidence for human presence in the high altitude Andes. The skeletons found at this site were ascribed to the Early to Middle Holocene and represented the oldest known population of Western South America, and thus were used in several studies addressing the early population history of the continent. However, later excavations at Lauricocha led to doubts regarding the antiquity of the site. Here, we provide new dating, craniometric, and genetic evidence for this iconic site. We obtained new radiocarbon dates, generated complete mitochondrial genomes and nuclear SNP data from five individuals, and re-analyzed the human remains of Lauricocha to revise the initial morphological and craniometric analysis conducted in the 1960's. We show that Lauricocha was indeed occupied in the Early to Middle Holocene but the temporal spread of dates we obtained from t...
(2016) A Reevaluation of PaleoAmerican Artifacts from Jaywamachay Rockshelter, Ayacucho Valley, Peru
As part of the “Botanical Archaeological Project Ayacucho-Huanta” in central Peru, excavations at Jaywamachay rockshelter were performed in 1969–1970. To reevaluate the rockshelter's oldest human occupations, remains from its lower levels (layers J2 and J3) are currently under study. Based on new radiocarbon dates and technological/morphological observations made of tools, we confirm that Jaywamachay is one of the few dated sites with evidence of hunter–gatherers using fishtail points in highland Peru during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition.
Mainly represented by " fishtail " or Fell points (~11,000-10,000 uncalibrated years BP), Paleoindian remains in Uruguay are distributed over a wide area. However, just a few stratified sites have yielded evidence of the earliest settlers in this part of South America. Cueva Amarilla was discovered as a result of an intensive survey conducted in the Lavalleja department. Because cave sites in Uruguay are scarce, an evaluation of its archaeological potentiality was performed. Lithic artifacts and charcoal were exhumed from its sedimentary deposits. A sample of the latter yielded a conventional radiocarbon date of 10,000 uncalibrated years BP. This date suggests that Cueva Amarilla witnessed an occupation during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, which was thus Paleoindian. This date agrees well with the time-span of the Fell occupation in South America in general, and particularly in southern Uruguay. Therefore, this level might have belonged to hunter-gatherer colonizers who used " fishtails " as part of their weaponry. In this regard further " fishtail " points data as well the specimens coming from neighboring departments are reported. In the study area, and around the cave, there are ubiquitous primary and secondary sources of lithic raw materials, mainly significant outcrops of a point finds from the region, are discussed within the framework of the colo-nization process of South America.
The Chiquihuite Cave, a Real Novelty? Observations about the Still-ignored South American Prehistory
PaleoAmerica, 2020
The recently reported discovery of cultural evidence at Chiquihuite Cave (Zacatecas, Mexico), produced by humans of at least 26,500 calendar years ago, is a major advance in research into early human occupations in the Americas. Thirteen of the 239 lithic artifacts recovered from the SC-C stratigraphic component, dated during and before the Last Glacial Maximum, are illustrated in Ardelean et al. (2020. "Evidence of Human Occupation in Mexico around the Last Glacial Maximum." Nature 584: 87-92). Although waiting for more detailed technological studies, these types of artifacts have been reported in other sites, primarily in South America. The field evidence from sites predating the Last Glacial Maximum must now be included in all interpretations of the initial settlement of the Americas.
Over the last decade, we have conducted an actualistic taphonomic research program in the Humid Pampas of Argentina, in order to build a corpus of information about the taphonomic agents and processes characterizing this sub-region. In this paper, we present a summary of our results after ten years of actualistic taphonomic studies in the Pampas. Our program includes both naturalistic and experimental research. Some of the controlled experiments consist of studies with different-aged guanaco bones, including sub-aerial weathering in a controlled environment, and water transport with disarticulated bones. Other studies were conducted at a local zoo, where we offered different types of prey to native small-sized carnivores (canids, felids, mustelids, and mephitids). Our naturalistic observations include the development of taphonomic transects in different environments. Through this method, we were able to study different topics among which some of the more significant are the movement of bones by small-sized carnivores and the distribution of beached Magellanic penguin specimens along the coast. Particular studies included the analyses of the content of dens occupied by small carnivores, the effects of a grassland fire in a vertebrate assemblage, the modifications produced by a local rodent-vizcacha-in the landscape, and the damage generated by pumas in guanaco carcasses. After ten years of systematic research we contributed to identify the potential mixture between modern bones and the archaeological record in relation to the environment; to determine bone preservation biases according to the properties of the record; to recognize agents responsible of bone accumulation and alteration; and to establish diagnostic criteria in order to differentiate cultural from natural patterns.