Tafonomía de los restos óseos humanos arqueológicos del noroeste de la Patagonia: un abordaje regional y multidisciplinario evidencia la relación entre el entorno y la preservación.

Abstract

We present the first multidisciplinary and regional taphonomic study of human remains recovered from 30 archaeological sites from Neuquén province, Northwestern Patagonia, coming from different geoenvironmental settings and with different chronologies (Mid-Late Holocene to post-contact). We created a database consisting of 14 types of taphonomic alterations on 109 individuals, with the purpose of assessing the influence of geoenvironment agents (sedimentary matrix, climate, vegetation, geomorphology, soil, altitudinal position and distance to water courses) and chronology on bone´s preservation. The data sets were analyzed through diverse statistical methods at the levels of site, individuals of the entire sample, and individuals from Aquihuecó site, due to its high number of burials. Intrinsic variables such as sex and age were evaluated at the level of individuals, although the difficulty of the estimation of their states-imposed limits to the inferences of their relevance. Our results indicate the presence of two patterns of bone preservation that are associated with specific geoenvironmental characteristics identified for the study area. One pattern was defined as of destructive diagenesis, characterized by sites with relatively younger, badly preserved bones, typically of humid climates, with acidic sediments and lower temperatures. In the other end, the second pattern, of non-destructive diagenesis, is distinguished by sites with relatively older, well-preserved bones, characteristically present in arid climates, with alkaline sediments and higher temperatures. Although exceptions exist, they can be assigned to the complex interplay of the different variables acting during the taphonomic history of bones. This model helps to better interpret the preservation of human bones in archaeological sites of Northern Patagonia.