Taphonomy of Surface Archaeological Bone Assemblages in Coastal Patagonia: A Case Study

Abstract

Surface archaeological bone assemblages are a key source of information for understanding the regional properties of the zooarchaeological record in Patagonian coastal landscapes. The number of archaeological deposits that are exposed every year as a consequence of erosion is noticeable, and by applying different research tools, they may help improve our knowledge of the formation processes of these assemblages. In this paper we analyze archaeological site P 37 in order to understand bone modification patterns displayed in three bone samples exposed on surface and recovered successively in 2008, 2010 and 2011. P 37 is located in Southern Patagonia, Argentina, close to the high tide line of Santa Cruz estuary. Bones (mainly pinnipeds) and stone artifacts were lying on a sandy substrate along with few mollusk shells. Weathering profiles, bone fragment size and bone modification data have been considered to discuss the taphonomic history of the bone materials recovered. Results show that P 37 displays signs of past stability and is currently in a transitional situation towards a completely eroded condition. Weathering profiles are a relatively more sensitive line of evidence to differentiate surface and stratigraphic samples recovered at different time intervals. The general picture of P 37 is in agreement with that of a time exposure longer than the 16/20 month observations that we have registered in this study. Nevertheless we could identify some taphonomic properties which could be informative of the transition between burial and exposure conditions in shorter time intervals than those displayed by the general weathering picture of the assemblage.