Life at the Shallow Lakes: Bioarchaeological Record of the Northern Pampean Shallow Lake Environment

Abstract

Skeletal remains have provided key evidence of early human presence in the northern area of the Pampas (Argentina). This contribution reviews the mortality profile and paleopathological data from this region, focusing on the study of human remains found in the Central Pampean Dunefields (General López, Santa Fe, Argentina). This includes the Laguna El Doce collection, one of the few sites in Argentina with human remains dating back to the Middle Holocene. The assemblage comprises commingled human remains and uncovered individual burials. Private collections gathered by local collectors and amateur archaeologists were also assessed. An estimated minimum number of 24 individuals was determined. The human remains were analyzed in terms of representativeness and preservation, age of death, sex, oral health, paleopathology, and trauma. The results were interpreted considering previous proposals regarding the features of Holocene hunter-gatherer dynamics. This contributed to a better understanding of past biocultural processes and their social ramifications, despite the post-depositional processes which have altered part of the bioarchaeological record in the region.