Abstract

CRUZ, Isabel  and  ERCOLANO, Bettina. The archaeological record of shags and cormorants (Phalacrocorax spp.) in Santa Cruz (Argentina). Cases and problems. Rev. Mus. Antropol. [online]. 2022, vol.15, n.2, pp.47-54. ISSN 1852-060X.  http://dx.doi.org/http://doi.org/10.31048/1852.4826.v15.n2.35235.

Abstract Comparison of five zooarchaeological assemblages from the coast of Santa Cruz (Argentina) allows to establish the characteristics of the regional archaeological record of cormorants (Phalacrocorax spp.). We analysed three of the assemblages, while the information of the remaining two was taken from the literature. These assemblages show differences with respect to various zooarchaeological variables, considered significant to address the spectrum of interactions between these birds and hunter-gatherers. From the analysis of these differences, three forms in which the archaeological record appears were detected: a) cases in which cormorant/shag bones are the most abundant among vertebrate remains, with anthropic modifications and large number of individuals (MNI), b) those in which constitute a minor portion of the assemblage, with clear anthropic evidence, and c) assemblages with cormorant bones, but with ambiguous evidence regarding human involvement. The lack of information on some variables, especially taxonomic determinations at the species level and the age categories of the individuals represented, is one of the main aspects that hinders progress in understanding the interactions between humans and cormorants in Southern Patagonia.

Keywords : Phalacrocorax spp.; Coastal hunter-gatherers; Zooarchaeology; Taxonomic and age determination; Atlantic coast of Patagonia..

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )