South American Zooarchaeology

Abstract

Research in Zooarchaeology of South America has considerately increased in recent decades. Many South American archaeologists and biologists began to give greater attention to fauna remains recovered from archaeological sites. Initially, their researches focused on making a list of taxa based on the taxonomic identification of bones and teeth. Subsequently, the zooarchaeological record was studied from human paleoeconomic and paleoenvironmental perspectives. In the last decades, taphonomy took a lead role in zooarchaeological studies of South America, being directly applied to archaeofaunistic record or through actualistic works. With new techniques, this discipline was crucial to evaluate the origin of fossil assemblages. Recently, the inclusion of morphometric and isotopic analysis has taken great relevance in South American zooarchaeology.