Gruta do Gentio II: data on the new excavations and isotopic signals from the site

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Gruta do Gentio II is an iconic site in the archaeology of Central Brazil because of its early occupation and rich excavation history. Situated in the interfluvial region of the Central Plateau, renewed investigation (after 35 years) offers new perspectives for the site. Data produced during the 1970s and 1980s revealed a wide variety of remains dating from the Early to the Terminal Holocene, found in association with human burials and rock art never seen in this area. In this presentation, new isotopic data from multiple systems using preserved tooth enamel and bone are presented with new AMS dates. The context of the human remains is reviewed and remains are situated against an isotopic baseline. Dates on preserved macrobotanical remains suggest that the site may be one of the oldest occupations to date in the lowlands of South America. The dates of the most recent burials are slightly before the arrival of the Europeans and show secondary burials. This suggests possible correlations between ethnographic groups, enabling various correlations between archaeology, linguistics and ethnography, especially with groups of the Macro-Jê speaking people (e.g. Bororo).

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 41531.0