The consumption and management of plants in the Brazilian savannah during the Middle and Late Holocene: an analysis of botanical microremains from three archaeological sites in Central Brazil

Abstract

The development of economic systems based on food production is a fundamental issue in human history. Although well recognized in certain parts of America, this phenomenon is still poorly understood in Central Brazil. In part, this is because in this region this process occurs throughout the Middle Holocene, a period notable for the drastic decrease in the density of the archaeological record. A rare and important exception is the Caixa D'Água site, where a series of human skeletons, associated with polished stone artifacts (millstones), was found and dated to the Middle Holocene. The Caixa D'Água site may represent an intersection between the populations of the Early and Late Holocene and allows us to understand the changes in livelihood strategies that occurred in this period. Archaeological and ethnographic evidence suggests a uniqueness in cultivation practices in Central Brazil, which appeared to be well established during the Late Holocene. However, the modes of cultivation, domestication and consumption of vegetables by groups of this period are still poorly understood. It is within the scope of this discussion that the present project is inserted, whose objective is to characterize, through the recovery and analysis of micro botanical remains retained in grinding wheels, ceramics and dental calculus, the production, consumption and processing of plant resources in Central Brazil during the Middle and Late Holocene. Materials from ceramic occupations from the Aratu and Una Traditions of the Late Holocene will be analyzed, with emphasis on the Praça de Piragiba - BA and Gruta do Gentio II - MG sites and the presence of processing of plant resources in the Middle Holocene will be identified, with a focus on the Caixa D'água site. A chronology will be established for the horticultural groups of Central Brazil through the generation of radiocarbon datings of human skeletons from the Piragiba and Caixa D'água sites. Radiocarbon dating of collagen extracted from bones will be performed during an internship at the Kimmel Center of Archaeological Science, in Israel.