Episode 102: What do archaeologists know about technological diversity in Paleoamerican Brazilian archaeology?

The Arch and Anth Podcast

In this episode, Dr. João Carlos Moreno de Sousa (Laboratory of Human Evolutionary Studies, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo) takes us through his work in Paleoindian archaeology, prehistoric Brazilian stone tool analyses and science communication.

Hunter-gatherer sites excavated by archaeologists have long been considered to contain either the Itaparica or Umbu traditions of stone tools. This depended on where in Brazil theses sites were located and if their assemblages contained either 'projectile points' or lesmas (a lesma is a slug-shaped unifacial tool with one pointed tip and biconvex edges. A closer look at these Paleoindian lithic industries by JuCa and his collaborators has revealed that: (a) these traditional categories of stone tool actually subsumed a greater diversity of lithics than what was known, and (b) there were some industries yet that had yet to be classified under earlier simpler models.

We also speak about his thoughts on archaeology outreach in Brazil, and especially as a response to recent political events and cuts in governmental funding for archaeological research and science.

You can find more information in the show notes under the episode on our website.

If you have feedback or questions for JuCa, you can find him on Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out his YouTube channel Arqueologia em Ação and the website Arqueologia e Pré-Historia.

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