Dry Holocene Events and Human

Occupation in South America

An Archaeological Point of View
Araujo, A.G.M.
Neves, W.A.
Pil, L. B.
Laboratrio de Estudos Evolutivos Humanos LEEH
Instituto de Biocincias - USP

Lagoa Santa and the

Archaic Gap
Area

subject to research since 1830s

(Peter Lund).
Hundreds of human skeletons found.
Dated human remains cluster around
two intervals: 10,000 8,000 and
2,500 1,000 C14 yrs. BP.
Archaic Period is absent in the area.

V E N E ZU E LA
G U YA N A
FREN C H G UYN A N A

S U R IN A M E

C O L O M B IA

RR
AP

15

L
14
AM
PA

M A

C E

PB

13

AC

B R A Z IL

RO

11

AL
SE

BA

B O L IV IA
8

V
X Y

M G

C
B

ES

RJ

PR

SC

RS

SP

10

7
5

M S

17

4
3

G O

16

12

PE

TO

M T

PERU

RN

PI

Q
P

S
R

A R G E N TIN A
19

18

F ig u r e 3 . A r c h a e o lo g ic a l s it e s ( n u m b e r s ) a n d p a le o e n v ir o n m e n t a l s t u d ie s ( le t te r s ) c i t e d in t h e t e x t .
1
6
1
1

=
=
2
6

L a g o a S a n t a ; 2 = S a n t a n a d o R ia c h o ; 3 = L a p a d o B o q u e t e ; 4 = L a p a d o D r a g o ; 5 = L a p a P e q u e n a
G r u t a d o G e n t io I I ; 7 = L a p a d o V a r a l; 8 = G O - J A - 0 1 ; 9 = M T - G U - 0 1 ; 1 0 = B A - R C - 2 8 ; 1 1 = A b r ig o d o P il o
= F u r n a d o E s tr a g o ; 1 3 = P e d r a F u r a d a ( S o R a im u n d o N o n a to a r e a ) ; 1 4 = P e d r a P in ta d a ; 1 5 = P e a R o ja
= A t a c a m a ; 1 7 = I n c a C u e v a 4 ; 1 8 = C u e v a T ix i , C e r r o E l S o m b r e r o , C e r r o L a C h in a ; 1 9 = A g u a d e L a C u e v a

A = L a g o a d o s O lh o s , L a g o a S a n t a ; B = L a g o S ilv a n a a n d D o m H e lv c io ; C = L a g o d o P ir e s a n d g u a P r e t a
d e B a ix o ; D = S a lit r e ; E = S e r r a N e g r a ; F = C r o m n ia ; G = g u a s E m e n d a d a s , L a g o a B o n ita , a n d L a g o a F e ia ;
H = I c a tu D u n e s ; I= T o c a d a B o a V is t a ; J = C a r a j s ; K = H u m a it ; L = R i o N e g r o D u n e s ; M = L a k e P a t a ;
N = P a n t a n o d e M o n ic a ; O = F a z e n d a d o P in to ; P = S e r r a R i o d o R a s t r o ; Q = M o r r o d a I g r e ja ; R = S e r r a B o a V i s t a ;
S = V o lt a V e l h a ; T = S e r r a C a m p o s G e r a is ; U = P a r a n R iv e r ; V = R i o C la r o ; W = B o t u c a tu ; X = A n h e m b i ;
Y = J a g u a r i n a .

Dated human skeletons from

Lagoa Santa and environs
Lagoa Santa Human Skeletons
12

no. dates

10
8
6
4
2
0

C14 years BP (x1000)

Searching for Other Evidences of

Human Abandonment During the
Holocene
Is the Archaic Gap a generalized
phenomenon?
Sources of archaeological
information: the Lagoa Santa Project
and published data.
Rockshelters x open-air sites.

Rockshelters in Central Brazil

Most

of them show gaps in the

human occupation.
These gaps usually take place in the
mid-Holocene.
The gaps do not always fall in the
same chronological interval.

Sites

Archaeological Gaps in Rockshelters (Brazil)

Barra Antonio (PI)

Toca do Bojo (PI)
Toca Boa Vista I (PI)
Caldeiro Rodrigues (PI)
Stio Meio (PI)
Pedra Furada (PI)
Furna Estrago (PE)
Abrigo Pilo (BA)
MT-GU-01 (MT)
GO-JA-01 (GO)
Boqueiro Soberbo (MG)
Lapa Varal (MG)
Lapa Foice (MG)
Gruta Gentio (MG)
Lapa Pequena (MG)
Lapa Drago (MG)
Boquete (MG)
Santana Riacho (MG)
Lagoa Santa (MG)

2000

4000

6000

C14 yrs. BP

8000

10000

Open-Air Sites: General Trends

for Central Brazil
If

we take frequency of dates as a

proxy for intensity of human
occupation, then
Dates for open-air sites seem to
corroborate the pattern observed for
rockshelters:
Two peaks, suggesting decrease in
occupation during the mid-Holocene.

Frequency of dates for Central

Brazil

no. dates

Central States (MG-GO-BA-MT-MS)

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

C14 yrs BPx1000

Open-Air Sites: General Trends

for Southern Brazil
No

evidence of Archaic Gap in

southern Brazil.
Frequency of dates suggests stasis
in human population until about 2500
BP.
Steep increase in population after
2500 BP.

no. dates

Southern States (SP-PR-SC-RS)

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

C14 years BP x 1000

What mean these patterns?

Main

hypothesis: regional human

abandonment linked to environmental
conditions.
Climate, and specifically water availability,
would be a plausible explanation.
Cross-checking with paleoenvironmental
data is the next step.

Contrasting Paleoenvironmental
and Archaeological Data
Analysis

restricted to Central,
Southeastern and Southern Brazil.
Northeastern and Northern Brazil were not
compared, either by insufficience of
archaeological sources or insufficience of
paleoenvironmental studies.
Coastal areas are not suitable, since most
were under water.

Paleoenvironmental Data for

Central Brazil
Overall,

there is a good agreement between

archaeological and paleoenvironmental
data:
frequency of charcoal in sediments,
episodes of lake drought,
pollen frequencies
All pointing to mid-Holocene dry conditions
following a relatively moister early
Holocene.

Paleonvironmental Data for

Southern Brazil (including SP)
Also

good correlation between

archaeological and paleoenvironmental data.
Campos vegetation during most part of
Holocene suggests drier and cooler
conditions. Perhaps low human density, with
no population crashes.
Climatic ammelioration in the last 2,500
years coincides with steep increase in
frequencies of archaeological dates.

Expanding the Model: The

Argentinian Pampas
Chosen

because of excellent
archaeological coverage.
Area subdivided into microenvironmental regions.
Abundance of paleoenvironmental
studies.

Pampas: Main Characteristics

Overall

dry setting, with moist

episodes.
Archaeological sites inside
rockshelters show major
chronological gaps.

Some Examples of Pampean Date Patterns in Different Regions

Area Interserrana

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

no. date s

no. dates

Area Serrana Tandilia

9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

C14 yrs B.P.x1000

C14 yrs B.P.x1000

Area Norte

Subregion Pam pa Seca

5
4
no. dates

no. dates

3
2
1

3
2
1

C14 yrs B.P.x1000

C14 yrs B.P.x1000

Pampas: Overall Pattern

Some

areas unhabited due to sealevel changes.

Differences between regions
probably due to migrations.
Are the patterns related to climate?

Pampean Dates x Paleosol Formation

Pampas (Total)
16
14

no. dates

12
10
8
6
4
2
0

C14 yrs B.P.x1000

Pampean Paleosols

no. dates

4
3
2
1
0

C14 yrs B.P.x1000

Although the three-peaked pattern for archaeological dates

and paleosol formation is the same, thetiming is not.
Peaks of paleosol formation are more recent than the peaks
of archaeological dates.
Probable explanation: paleosols were dated by means of total
SOM, whereas archaeological dates are based on charcoal.
The total SOM dates are consistently more recent than
charcoal dates, due to contamination by recent carbon.
This suggests that peaks of paleosol formation, related to
increased moisture, are closely related to increase in human
occupation.

Summary:
Dryness

periods and regional human abandonment

strongly correlated in Andean settings
(Atacama,Chile).
Rockshelters in Central Brazil show signs of being
abandoned by humans in the mid-Holocene.
Open-air sites in Central Brazil show a pattern of
decreasing frequency in the mid-Holocene.
In the Pampas there is a good correlation between
paleosol formation (wet periods) and frequency of
archaeological dates.

Concluding: Holocene in South

America
Marked

by dry periods.
Humans had to cope with environmental
stress.
Migration and territory abandonment were
widely used strategies.
Archaeological sites (humans) are sensible
indicators of water stress, either directly or
due to resources being exploited.