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About 12,440 to 12,550 years ago, hunter-gatherers regularly visited Chile’s Lake Taguatagua to hunt ancient elephant relatives called gomphoteres and exploit other local resources, according to a research team led by archaeologists from the Pontificia Católica de Chile University.
Location of Taguatagua 3, Chile: (A) Burning features spatially associated with gomphotere cervical vertebrae and skull fragments. (B) Sacrum and caudal vertebrae, intervertebral discs, and unfused coxal portion. Note the distance between the first sacral vertebra and its disc. (C) Endscraper in the field. (D) In-situ core debt spatially related to Gomphozee remnants. Image credit: La Barca other., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302465.
There are several known archaeological sites in the area. Lake Taguatagua Located in central Chile, it is one of the oldest known human settlements in the Americas.
In a new study, Dr. Rafael Labarca from Universidad Católica Pontificia de Chile and his colleagues have discovered an ancient hunter-gatherer camp dating back to the late Pleistocene, between 12,440 and 12,550 years ago.
This place, named Taguatagua 3, Gonfotelan extinct relative of the elephant.
Butchery marks on bones, stone tools and other evidence indicate that Taguatagua 3 was a temporary camp set up to process large carcasses.
During the camp’s short existence, other activities were also carried out, including the processing of other foods, as evidenced by the charred remains of plants and small animals such as frogs and birds.
Fossilized cactus seeds and bird egg shells suggest that the camp was inhabited, especially during the dry season.
Numerous archaeological sites of similar age are now known in the area, indicating that Lake Taguatagua was a recurring hunting and scavenging site for people during the late Pleistocene, thanks to abundant and predictable local resources. Suggests.
“The area was an important location along the route of mobile groups at the time and the temporary camp may have hosted regular meetings between these groups,” the archaeologists said.
Further exploration of this archaeologically rich region will continue to provide insight into the migration and survival strategies of early humans in South America.
“Taguatagua 3 helps us to better understand how early humans adapted to the rapidly changing environment of central Chile during the Late Pleistocene,” the researchers said.
of Investigation result Published online in journals PLoS ONE.
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R. Labarca other2024. Taguatagua 3: A new late Pleistocene settlement in a location highly suited to lacustrine habitats in central Chile (34°S latitude). PLoS One 19 (5): e0302465; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302465
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“This is another elegant component!”
“Around 12,440 to 12,550 years ago, hunter-gatherers regularly returned to Lake Taguatagua in Chile to hunt ancient elephant relatives called gomphoteres and exploit other local resources. A 12,500-year-old post…”
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Source link: https://www.sci.news/archaeology/pleistocene-settlement-chile-12957.html
