Mortality Profiles of Hunter-Gatherer Societies: A Case Study from the Eastern Pampa-Patagonia Transition (Argentina) During the Final Late Holocene

Abstract

The objective of this work is to present and discuss the mortality profile of the Paso Alsina 1 site located at the lower basin of the Colorado River, in the eastern Pampa-Patagonia transition, Argentina. This is a formal disposal area of inhumations composed by multiple secondary burials with a chronology of ca. 500 14C years BP. The results are discussed in relation to the paleopathological information available for the site and the socio-historical context of hunter-gatherers who inhabited the study area as well as neighboring regions. Information is also compared to paleodemographical profiles obtained from other sites from Pampa and Patagonia and from archaeological contexts worldwide. The site comprised an MNI of 77, represented by both sexes and all age categories. The mortality profile is characterized by a bimodal pattern with a peak of greater representation of individuals younger than three years, and another one comprising the range between 20-45 years. The individuals of the analyzed skeletal series did not suffer severe physiological stress. The attritional characteristic of the mortality profile of the Paso Alsina 1 site is similar to those generally reported from hunter-gatherers archaeological case studies.