Lapa do Santo

Lapa do Santo

Brazil · Minas Gerais

CaveIntermittent excavation
Approximate period10,700 BCE — 1,950 CEEarly Holocene and later phases of use See on the map ↓

In brief

Lapa do Santo is an excavated cave entrance in the Lagoa Santa karst region. Human burials and treatments of the body document the changing funerary practices of early Holocene communities.

What was found?

  • 1Well-preserved human skeletons

    Numerous burials make it possible to compare the funerary practices of early communities. The preservation of the skeletons has enabled different forms of burial to be distinguished.

  • 2Burial 26

    A head separated from the body, cervical vertebrae and hands placed over the face were found together. According to researchers, this arrangement was part of a funerary ritual.

  • 3Stone tools

    The site contains a rich assemblage of stone tools. These document that the shelter, known for its burials, was also used for everyday life and production.

  • 4Bone tools

    Worked bone objects show that bone, alongside stone, was used as a raw material for tools. They complement the site's repertoire of craftsmanship.

What does it point to?

According to researchers, Lapa do Santo shows that complex funerary ceremonies were conducted even without monumental structures and rich grave goods. Changes in burial practices over time reveal that the community's traditions were not static.

What did it teach us?

  1. Documented diverse and elaborate funerary practices in eastern South America during the Early Holocene.
  2. According to researchers, isotope values consistent with the local community for the individual in burial 26 weakened the interpretation that the head was a war trophy taken from an enemy.
  3. Burials from different periods showed that funerary traditions changed over time at the same location.

Images

Lapa do Santo - Artefato Lítico - Hematite Axe - LSt 6410
Strauss MAE-USP · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Lapa do Santo - Overview mais esqueleto para apresentar
Strauss MAE-USP · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Hunter-gatherer communities of the Lagoa Santa region
First modern dig
2001
Team / historical
André Strauss; University of São Paulo, LAAAE
Coordinates
-19.4777°, -44.0155°

Sources

  1. sites.usp.br
  2. eva.mpg.de
  3. scielo.br
  4. researchgate.net
  5. PLOS ONE — 26 numaralı gömü araştırması, Max Planck arşivi

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