Dissertation Research: Early Holocene Hunter-Gatherers in Central Brazil

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Speth Under the direction of Dr. John Speth, Mr. Renato Kipnis will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will conduct archaeological excavation at two sites - Grande Abrigo de Santana do Riacho and Lapa do Boquete - both located in eastern Central Brazil. Primr excavations at both indicate that they have excellent organic preservation, including rich botanical and animal remains, perishable wooden and reed artifacts and human burials. They have several occupation levels that span most of the last 12,000 years. Through his excavation, Mr Kipnis will increase the samples of floral and faunal remains as well as cultural artifacts such as ceramics and stone tools. Excavation will be specifically aimed at recovering controlled samples which will permit quantitative analysis and intra- and inter-site comparison. Sediment column samples will be collected for pollen analysis. On this basis it will be possible to reconstruct detailed changes in environment and document human response to these. The goal of this research is to investigate how human societies at a simple level of cultural and technological organization adapt to severe environmental change. Over the last 12,000 years such variation has occurred in Central Brazil and these two archaeological sites with excellently preserved remains offer Mr. Kipnis to address this question. Archaeologists have posited different adaptational strategies. One involves resource diversification and intensification where the focus is on change in local use of the environment. Another is primarily social and involves the establishment of networks among groups and the increased movement of goods and individuals. The work which Mr. Kipnis will conduct should help to determine which of these alternatives is most likely. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will shed new light on how societies interact with their environment and assist in the training of a promising young scientist.