Admiraal, Marjolein orcid.org/0000-0002-9830-8032, Colonese, André C orcid.org/0000-0002-0279-6634, Milheira, Rafael Guedes et al. (4 more authors) (2025) Feasting on fish. Specialized function of pre-colonial pottery of the Cerritos mound builders of southern Brazil. PLOS ONE. e0311192. ISSN 1932-6203
Abstract
Some of the oldest coastal pottery in South America is found in the Pampas region of southern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. In the region's extensive estuarine systems pre-colonial indigenous groups built earthen mounds, known as Cerritos, from ca. 4700 BP. The Cerritos have multifunctional purposes, and while pottery was widely used, its role in the economic or ritual life of the mound builders remains uncertain. Intriguingly, molecular and isotopic characterization of food residues from Cerritos ceramics shows that vessels were used for either cooking estuarine fish, or plant products. Microbial-derived lipids were predominantly associated with the latter, suggesting that plants were fermented, presumably to make alcoholic beverages. We suggest that dispersed communities were drawn to the mounds seasonally to exploit and celebrate the return of migrating fish. This finding is supported by the diversity of stable isotope values of human remains recovered from Cerritos and sheds new light on the lifeways of these pre-colonial groups.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 Admiraal et al. |
Keywords: | Brazil,Animals,Humans,Fishes/physiology,Ceramics,Archaeology |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Chemistry (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 04 Mar 2025 11:30 |
Last Modified: | 05 Mar 2025 00:09 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0311192 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0311192 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:224021 |