Sharks and Rays and Sambaquieiros: A View from Piaçaguera

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Past Human-Shark Interactions" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Precolonial groups used various types of raw materials for manufacture of tools and adornments: rocks, clay, fibers, bones, shells, among others. In general, lithic and ceramic assemblages gain more focus from researchers due to their ubiquity and better preservation. Shell mound sites, however, provide a context in which faunal remains are the main components of the matrix so the study of the social and symbolic meanings of faunal remains allows a special glimpse on the understanding of human societies’ relationships with the animal world and with aquatic animals in particular. In this paper, I present findings about the shark and ray assemblages from Piaçaguera site, a shell midden (sambaqui) from Eastern Brazil. Bone points (gorges) and modified teeth (from sharks) are the most dominant types of artifacts at this site, and the majority of pieces are associated with burials. The results present a starting point for an examination of the relationship between these animals and coastal societies in the past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Past Human-Shark Interactions   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38797.0