Las termitas como agentes naturales de alteraciones tafonómicas postdepositacionales en un esqueleto humano del sitio arqueológico Toca do Enoque (Piauí, Brasil)

Ana Solari; Anne Marie Pessis; Gabriela Martin; Fátima Barbosa; Sergio F. S. Monteiro da Silva

doi:10.24215/18536387e016

Authors

Ana Solari Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE). Recife. Brasil
Anne Marie Pessis Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE). Recife. Brasil.Fundação Museu do Homem Americano (FUMDHAM). Piauí. Brasil
Gabriela Martin Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE). Recife. Brasil. Fundação Museu do Homem Americano (FUMDHAM). Piauí. Brasil
Fátima Barbosa Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE). Recife. Brasil. Colegiado de Arqueologia e Preservação Patrimonial. Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF). Piauí. Brasil
Sergio F. S. Monteiro da Silva Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE). Recife. Brasil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24215/18536387e016

Keywords:

taphonomy, icnoarchaeology, funerary archeoentomology, termites, Neotropical region

Abstract

Termites are insects that often appear in archaeological contexts in Brazil, that are almost never studied as natural processes of deposit formation and archaeological contexts. The probability of founding marks of these insects that modify carcasses of animals and humans in archaeological sites in Brazil and South America makes their study relevant. From a theoretical - methodological approach that includes Icnoarchaeology and Funeral Archeoentomology, we present the case study of a human skeleton with signs of bioerosion due to the action of subterranean termites in the archaeological site at Toca do Enoque (Piauí, northeastern Brazil) from the Middle Holocene. Guided by an actualist study protocol, we were able to record that the pattern of damage observed in the bones was consistent with the osteophageal behaviour of certain termite species endemic to the neotropical region (Family: Termitidae). The macroscopic analysis shows the importance of recognizing subterranean termites as natural taphonomic agents that act in postdepositional degradation of human bone remains from archaeological burial contexts.

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