Taphonomy at two contiguous coastal rockshelters in Panama: Preliminary observations focusing on fishing and curing fish

Carvajal-Contreras, Diani Rocio; Cooke, Richard G.; Jiménez, Máximo

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2007.08.027

Cited by 16 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…To fish these three species, canoers would likely have focused on sand banks in the bay. Subsequently, the small fish were probably transported from the coastline to inland sites, after being smoked or sundried or both (Carvajal‐Contreras, Cooke, & Jiménez, ; Zohar & Cooke, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cold‐water diving in the tropics? External auditory exostoses among the pre‐Columbian inhabitants of Panama

Smith-Guzmán

Cooke

2018

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: The appearance of external auditory exostoses archaeologically has been attributed to aquatic activities in middle latitudes. However, recent clinical research implicates low sea surface temperatures, especially below a threshold of 19 C, as a stronger predictor of ear exostosis development than latitude. Here, we examine the frequency of external auditory exostoses in human remains from nine pre-Columbian archaeological sites in Panama, representing individuals from a warm, tropical region. Materials and methods:External auditory exostoses were recorded as present when an abnormal bony growth was observed macroscopically within the ear canal. The presence of exostoses was compared by right and left side, geographical region, sex, and degree of stenosis.Results: A total of 125 adult individuals made up the observable sample analyzed in this study.Exostoses were observed in seven males and one female. All individuals affected by this pathology were excavated from mortuary contexts along the Gulf of Panama-a region characterized by intense cold water upwelling in the dry season.Discussion: This study suggests that external auditory exostoses in pre-Columbian Panama affected individuals involved in habitual aquatic activities in the cold, upwelled waters of the Gulf of Panama. These activities appear to be almost exclusively dominated by male individuals.Ethnohistorical and archaeological records point to marine shell resource acquisition by deepwater diving as the activity driving exostosis development in pre-Columbian Panama. K E Y W O R D Sactivity markers, auditory exostosis, diving, Panama, upwelling

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cold‐water diving in the tropics? External auditory exostoses among the pre‐Columbian inhabitants of Panama

Smith-Guzmán

Cooke

2018

American J Phys Anthropol

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“…In the pre-1980s Pacific ichthyoarchaeology, the problems associated with taphonomy and site formation processes were acknowledged but rarely addressed; these include the impact of soil pH on fish bone preservation (e.g., Allo 1970), the general friability of fish bone in archaeological deposits (e.g., Kirch and Rosendahl 1973;Pearson et al 1971;Shawcross 1975), the effects that high oil content of tuna bone has on preservation (e.g., Davidson et al 1998;Severance 1986), and the effects of scavengers such as dogs and pigs (Davidson 1971). There has been more intensive research on taphonomy and site formation processes outside the Pacific as it relates to storage and preservation (e.g., Carenti 2013;Jones 1984;Smith et al 2011), butchery and processing techniques (e.g., skeletal element representation; Cerón-Carrasco 1994;Colley 1984;Van Neer et al 2007;Zohar et al 2001), trade and resource movement (e.g., Barrett 1997;Broughton et al 2006;Carvajal-Contreras et al 2008;Perdikaris et al 2007), and cultural versus natural site accumulation (e.g., Van Neer and Morales 1992;Zohar et al 2014).…”

Section: Taphonomy and Site Formation Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pacific Islands Ichthyoarchaeology: Implications for the Development of Prehistoric Fishing Studies and Global Sustainability

Lambrides

Weisler

2016

J Archaeol Res

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The Pacific Islands-consisting of culturally diverse Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia-is the ideal region to investigate the development of prehistoric fishing studies, as nowhere else on Earth is there such environmental contrasts among island types and their marine environments. We review the ichthyoarchaeological literature for the Pacific and assess developments in recovery methods, reference collections, taxonomic identifications, quantification, taphonomy and site-formation processes, ethnoarchaeology, approaches to diet and subsistence reconstructions, sustainability, and the importance of applied zooarchaeology for fisheries management and conservation. Ichthyoarchaeologists are beginning to work more closely with resource managers, fisheries biologists, policy makers, and indigenous communities to produce holistic studies of conservation management, resource sustainability, and assessments of human impacts on marine ecosystems over centuries to millennial time scales.

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“…In pre-Columbian times, salt would have been most economically obtained by scraping the salt-laden dried out surface of the albinas during dry periods, and then boiled down in clay vessels. Arguments have been made that the coast to interior movement of fish was prevalent in pre˗Conquest times (Carvajal-Contreras et al, 2008) and it is substantiated by finds of the bones of small thread˗herrings (Clupeidae: Opisthonema libertate), long˗fin herrings (Pristigasteridae: Ilisha fuerthii) and croakers (Sciaenidae: Ophioscion typicus) in the Early Ceramic middens at the Cueva de los Ladrones rock˗shelter, located 20 km inland (Cooke, 2001;Carvajal-Contreras et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behind white-tailed deer teeth: A micro- and mesowear analysis from three Panamanian pre-Columbian archaeological sites

Martínez‐Polanco

Rivals

Cooke

2020

Quaternary International

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Taphonomy at two contiguous coastal rockshelters in Panama: Preliminary observations focusing on fishing and curing fish

Cited by 16 publications

References 22 publications

Cold‐water diving in the tropics? External auditory exostoses among the pre‐Columbian inhabitants of Panama

Cold‐water diving in the tropics? External auditory exostoses among the pre‐Columbian inhabitants of Panama

Pacific Islands Ichthyoarchaeology: Implications for the Development of Prehistoric Fishing Studies and Global Sustainability

Behind white-tailed deer teeth: A micro- and mesowear analysis from three Panamanian pre-Columbian archaeological sites

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