Abstract

MERCOLLI, Pablo  and  TABOADA, Constanza. ANALYSIS OF THE FAUNA OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE "EL POBLADITO DE AMPOLLA" (CATAMARCA FOOTHILLS, ARGENTINA). Comechingonia [online]. 2016, vol.20, n.2, pp.1-10. ISSN 1851-0027.

Archaeological studies in the most northern foothills of the Sierra de Ancasti (Santa Rosa department, Catamarca province, Argentina) are sparse. And even more if we refer to the archaeofaunistic  researches  that  are  practically nonexistent. This situation resulted in a sufficient incentive for generating the first records in the area, related to animal species exploitation, carried out by the communities that occupied this sector. To this goal, we focus on the evidence provided by the partial excavation of three contexts in the residential site named "El Pobladito de Ampolla", associated to dates belonging to the first four centuries of the Christian Era and to "Condorhuasi" and "Cortaderas" (or "Alumbrera Tricolor") ceramic materials. This work shows the results obtained through the application of several methodological tools that are currently used to carry out archaeofaunistic analysis. These tools contemplate among other aspects, the determination of taxonomic and anatomical variables of the different species represented, taphonomy, thermal alterations, osteometric analysis, and the calculation of age profiles.

Keywords : archaeofauna; consumption; wildlife; Ancasti hills.