Marisa Coutinho Afonso

Raman spectroscopic study of 3000‐year‐old human skeletal remains from a sambaqui, Santa Catarina, Brazil

A Raman spectroscopic study of red-pigmented human bones from a 3000-year-old sambaqui burial was undertaken for the first time. Visible (633 nm) and near-infrared (1064 nm) excitation were used to characterize the pigment and its substrate; the red pigment is haematite, iron(III) oxide, which proved to be of a pure form and for which no previous heat treatment processing had been adopted. There is clear evidence in heavily pigmented areas of a ‘limewash’ layer which had been applied to the body of the deceased prior to treatment with ochre. Comparisons made with previous Raman studies of archaeological bone from a separate excavation indicate that mineralization of the present specimens is well advanced, with evidence of calcium carbonate incorporation into the hydroxyapatite phosphatic matrix. Copyright

First archeointensity results from Portuguese potteries (1550-1750 AD)

Geomagnetic field variations at archeomagnetic timescales can be obtained from well-dated heated structures and archeological potsherds. Here, we present the first archeointensity results obtained on Portuguese ceramics (1550 to 1750 AD) collected at Brazilian archeological sites. The results are compared to those obtained from Western Europe and currently available geomagnetic field models. Continuous thermomagnetic and IRM acquisitions curves indicate that Ti-poor titanomagnetite is responsible for the remanence in these ceramic fragments. Five fragments (24 samples) out of twelve analyzed yielded reliable intensity estimates. The row archeointensity data were corrected for TRM anisotropy and cooling rate effect. The mean dipole moments are obtained for three different age intervals: 1550±30 AD, 1600±30 AD and 1750±50 AD. Mean intensities vary from 37.9±4.2 μT to 54.8±7.6 μT in agreement with the previously reported data for 1550 AD and 1750 AD. Relatively weaker, but still highly dispersed, values were obtained for 1600 AD ceramics.

Um olhar etnoarqueológico para a ocupação guarani no estado de São Paulo

Formation processes of the archaeological record can be identified through ethnoarchaeological researches. Ethnoarchaeology uses etnographic analogies, mostly from observation of aspects of contemporaneous behavior, aiming to study the archaeological remains and their relation with this behavior. The State of Sao Paulo has been recognized as a frontier between different precolonial ceramic groups, and archaeologists try to better understand the Guarani occupation, specially at the Paranapanema valley, in the southern part of the state.Comparisons between etnographic informations and archaeological remains are being made, as the identification of the Guarani big houses to the black earth found at archaeological sites, and the set of these antropogenetic soils to the settlements. The understanding of precolonial Guarani occupation has been modified by archaeologists using etnographic data, while studies about the relations between Guarani and other groups, like Je, are under way.

Preliminary Results of Magnetic Archaeointensity Measurements in Brazil

Variations in intensity and direction of the Earth’s magnetic field oscillate according to time scales ranging from seconds to millions of years. Variations in time period of 102–103 years are referred to as “archaeomagnetic variations” and may be used as a dating tool due to their stochastic behavior. Archaeomagnetic dating is based on the comparison of the magnetic record of archaeological material of unknown age with master-curves for the variation of the magnetic field in a given region of the planet (e.g. Le Goff et al. 2002).