Microarqueología aplicada al análisis e interpretación de termoalteraciones en restos óseos de tortugas de sitios arqueológicos en el caribe colombiano

Abstract

This article discusses the results of the first pilot study directed to the analysis of thermoaltered bones as an indicator of cultural practices in the context of Caribbean archaeology. These types of modifications are common in the archaeological samples of the region and its research offers great potential to investigate dietary practices among other things. In this sense, samples from slider turtle (Trachemys callirostris callirostris) recently recovered from archaeological excavations at the site of Cacaramoa, municipality of Sabanagrande (Atlántico, Colombia), and bone fragments from modern Boba turtle (Caretta caretta), were analyzed through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) technique. This research confirmed the issues underlaying the application in different cases of the same categories for thermal modifications without taking into account the peculiarities of each geographical context and the differential changes that may occur in diverse species. As a result, it was possible to generate a first local referent for the study of thermal modifications in turtle remains for this region.