The fossorial faunal record at the Beltrán Onofre Banegas-Lami Hernandez archaeological site (Santiago del Estero province, Argentina): A taphonomic approach

Abstract

In the last few years, zooarchaeological studies of small fauna in Argentina have broadened to aid the interpretation of anthropic or natural input to the archaeological record. This paper presents the first results of the excavation of a site located in the Chaco-Santiagueña archaeological region (Santiago del Estero province, Argentina), within a taphonomic framework which allowed us to maximize contextual information in the archaeological record. Animals with burrowing habits recovered at the Beltran Onofre Banegas -Lami Hernandez site were Tupinambis sp., Chelonoidis chilensis, Ophidia, Chaetophractus vellerosus , Tolypeutes matacus , Cabassous chacoensis , Ctenomys sp., Lagostomus maximus, Dolichotis patagonum, Dolichotis salinicola, Microcavia australis and Galea leucoblephara. This site corresponds to the late agro-pottery stage (between 1200 AD and the Spanish conquest). The contextual relationships, the presence of burrows, the differential distribution of manganese oxide patina and bone surface modifications were considered. This analysis allowed us to differentiate between those individuals who died by natural causes inside their burrows, deposition by natural predators and anthropic accumulation. It also enabled us to make a more precise interpretation for the contribution of animals with burrowing habits to diets of ancient populations.