Chemical analysis of pottery reveals the transition from a maritime to a plant-based economy in pre-colonial coastal Brazil.

Understanding long-term dynamics of past socio-ecological systems is essential for their future management. The southern Atlantic Forest coast of Brazil with its biodiverse littoral zone and artisanal fishing communities, is a priority for conservation. Traditional maritime knowledge is thought to have a deep-history and indeed, marine exploitation can be traced back to the middle Holocene.

Bridging archaeology and marine conservation in the Neotropics.

Anthropogenic impacts on tropical and subtropical coastal environments are increasing at an alarming rate, compromising ecosystem functions, structures and services. Understanding the scale of marine population decline and diversity loss requires a long-term perspective that incorporates information from a range of sources. The Southern Atlantic Ocean represents a major gap in our understanding of pre-industrial marine species composition.

Multi-technique investigation of potshards of a cerrito (earthen mound) from southern Brazil.

The physicochemical investigation of ceramics crafted and managed by ancient humans allows a better understanding of their social, technological, economical, routine and artistic activities. The Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul presents the biggest number of registered archaeological sites in the country, and many of them are earthen mounds, locally known as cerritos de indios. This kind of archaeological site is of utmost importance to understand the social development of the biome Pampa - including areas from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay - and almost nothing is known about the physicochemical composition of the artifacts from the Brazilian portion.