Fish heads that turn heads: catfish from Cabeçuda shell mound
Author(s): Daniela Klokler
Year: 2015
Summary
Zooarchaeological analysis of the Cabeçuda shell mound identified a number of Ariidae (Genidens barbus, G. genidens) neurocrania with exceptional preservation. This site is a large mound located in southern Brazil, and the faunal collection was sampled during archaeological interventions done in the 1950s. Generally, Ariidae specimens are a common find in Brazilian shell mounds. However, Cabeçuda is the only site that presents elements with this level of preservation. Catfish neurocrania are composed of several bones that easily disconnect from each other and their presence at the site in such condition leads to some questions. This paper explores the importance of catfish and its decline throughout the occupation. Is it due to changes in preferences or environmental shifts, site formation processes and their influence on differential preservation, or site function?
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Cite this Record
Fish heads that turn heads: catfish from Cabeçuda shell mound. Daniela Klokler. Presented at The 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, San Francisco, California. 2015 ( tDAR id: 398214)
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Keywords
General
Shell Mounds
•
Zooarchaeology
Geographic Keywords
South America
Spatial Coverage
min long: -93.691; min lat: -56.945 ; max long: -31.113; max lat: 18.48 ;