A Human Body, a Necklace, a Pestle, and a Stone Axe

An Osteobiographical Perspective of a 4,000-Year-Old Burial in Calamuchita Valley (Córdoba, Argentina)

Bibliographic Data

ID4373587
AuthorsM Fabra (0000-0002-7269-6639), Sandra Gordillo (0000-0002-3937-4865), Fernando Colombo (0000-0001-5751-3542), Rodrigo Nores (0000-0002-9153-0626), G Sario (0000-0002-4452-0011)
Year2023
Volume34
Issue2
Pages349-365
Publication date2023-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLatin American Antiquity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1045-6635 • E-ISSN: 2325-5080
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/laq.2022.39
OpenAlexW4280515278
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited41

We report the results of bioarchaeological, genetic, malacological, and lithic analyses of a burial located in the Calamuchita Valley in the province of Córdoba in central Argentina. We discuss these findings from an osteobiographical perspective that considers the physical body from three spheres of analysis: biological, social, and political. The skeletal remains correspond to an adult male who died 3770 ± 9014C years BP (4404-3850 cal BP). His mitochondrial lineage A2+16192-16248could have originated in central Argentina; this lineage subsequently became extinct in modern populations. In association with the human bones, there were two lithic tools, ornamental shells, and a stone pendant arranged as a necklace. This type of context is infrequently found in the region and the period studied. Thus, this burial represents a rare and relevant record for regional and South American archaeology, providing the oldest direct evidence of a burial with grave goods in hunter-gatherer societies of the province of Córdoba, central region of Argentina

Archaeology · Biological anthropology · Biology · Context (archaeology · Geography · Human evolution · Lineage (genetic · Necklace · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Paleopathology and ancient diseases · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

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