ABORDAGEM ANALÍTICA DAS GRAVURAS RUPESTRES DO SÍTIO TOCA DOS OITENTA – PARQUE NACIONAL SERRA DA CAPIVARA – PI

This essay aims to present some sexual representations in rock art in the Serra da Capivara National Park (PNSC), in southeastern Piauí, Brazil. Since immemorial times, humans have created ways to express themselves, and rock art, engravings and/or paintings were sociocultural forms found to store and safeguard the most varied everyday information of group interests. More than 1,000 archaeological sites are known in the park, representing subjects related to the sociability of ancestral life, such as hunting, gathering, fighting, ceremonies, sexualities and much more. These depictions have been studied since the 1970’s and allowed the creation of a national park recognized as a World Heritage site. Although the paintings depict scenes considered by Western observers as obscene, barbaric and immoral, it is necessary to remember that primitive sexuality was not separate, private subject, to be hidden from the eyes of the social human life, as it is considered by us in 21st century. Key words: sexuality, rock art, prehistoric life, Serra da Capivara National Park, Piauí.

The semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil includes the caatinga (scrub forest) biome, of which less than 50% of the original area now survives, and of which less than 1% is legally protected in the form of Conservation Units. The Serra da Capivara National Park, an International Cultural Landmark, is located in the southeastern region of the State of Piaui. It harbors some 130,000 hectares of caatinga with some 400 archeological sites and endemic and endangered plant and animal species from the Brazilian semi-arid ecosystem. Multiand interdisciplinary studies have been conducted in the area since 1970. The current article presents the results of a study which reviewed, organized, systematized, and standardized existing planimetric, hydrological, ecological, geomorphologic, and infrastructural information with the objective of organizing a Geographic Information System (GIS) to manage the Park. The results of the analyses of the Park's legal and land tenure situation showed quite significant overlaps and discrepancies. Its prevailing zoning regime is unsuited to its current ecological needs, while analysis of the available water accumulated in both natural and manmade reservoirs (the only sources of water in the region) recommend new measures and dynamics for managing the Park's fauna. Introduction Brazil has conservation units whose use is subject to a variety of legal characteristics and supervisory agencies. Full conservation units cover 2.61% of Brazil's national territory. Another 5.52% of the national territory is partially protected, allowing for the direct use of its natural resources [1]. Despite efforts in recent years, conservation of legally established areas in Brazil has failed to Management Information Systems, C.A. Brebbia & P. Pascolo (Editors) © 2000 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-815-5 38 Management Information Systems completely achieve its objectives, for a number of reasons: lack of funds and political determination to compensate landowners and squatters still living in full conservation units; lack of funds to effectively enforce established areas; lack of personnel (in both sheer numbers and level of training) under the national agency in charge of this area (the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Natural Resources, or IBAMA), with a current ratio of 1 employee for every 27,560 hectares; gaps in the relationship between local communities and the objectives of the conservation units; limited research (concluded or under way); confusing legislation and legal framework; lack of capability on the part of public and private organizations in charge of managing protected areas; and lack of monitoring of biological diversity and factors modifying conservation units and areas surrounding them. Despite the numerous problems and inertia, Brazil has made progress in its interest and intent to conserve its biodiversity. The current study presents data from a 30-year scientific experiment in the poorest area of Brazil (with an average monthly family income of some US58.00), the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil, where less than 50% of the original biome remains, the desertification process is expanding, and farming/cattle-raising frontiers, deforestation, and subsistence hunting have fueled the loss of biodiversity. The area studied encompasses the Serra da Capivara National Park, situated in the southeastern region of the State of Piaui, belonging to the morpho-climatic domain of the caatinga, or scrub forest [2] (Figure 1). The Park's 130,000 hectares harbor endemic and endangered animal species [3,4,5]. The flora consists of a mosaic of 5 physiognomic types of caatinga with 70% endemism [6]. 750000 7*0000 770000 780000 790000 800000 Figure 1: General localization Management Information Systems, C.A. Brebbia & P. Pascolo (Editors) © 2000 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-815-5 Management Information Systems 39 The multiand interdisciplinary research began in 1970 under the Museu do Homem Americano (Museum of American Man) Foundation, currently managing the Park in conjunction with the Brazilian government. Since 1992, the Park has been declared an International Cultural Landmark by (UNESCO) due to the wealth and antiquity of its archeological sites and rock paintings [7,8]. The need to enhance data analysis speed and precision in order to improve the Park's management and planning led to the creation of a specific GIS for this conservation unit, with the following objectives: • establish a common work base for all the research developed in the area; • gather together all the accumulated or existing data bases; • begin analysis of the natural or anthropogenic environmental changes; • begin analysis of the distribution and availability of water in the Park, as a resource limiting the ecosystem's dynamics; and • generate a regional model for monitoring and managing renewable natural

Conservation is a branch of rock art research that tends to consider degradation to prehistoric art works, as well as the integrity of sites, as a static phenomenon operating hic et nunc. Especially in Brazil, research in this field normally does not consider the passage of time when trying to explain and address existent risks, and their mitigation, at rock art sites. Research presented here discusses rock art conservation at the Serra Branca Valley in a diachronic perspective. It aims to situate spatially and temporally the agents of qualitative modification compromising rock art in 200 archaeological sites, in order to understand their action and how damage systems are articulated. It argues that agents of qualitative modification operate disproportionately by assuming different strengths, intensities and frequencies, leading to distinct forms of rock art loss. From this perspective, rock art is considered to emanate from cultural complexes integrated in specific environments. The emergence of this interaction is assumed to be contemporary to the first human occupation during the regional Pleistocene/Holocene transition. Therefore, the social and natural domains articulate a whole system, which the dynamics and the interaction of multiple agents are seen as the key to the comprehension of the origins, and the evolution of harmful processes affecting the entire rock art assemblage.

80,000 years of geophysical stratigraphic record at the Serra da Capivara National Park, in northeastern Brazil: Uncovering hidden deposits and landforms at a canyon's floor

Anurans are among the most diverse groups of vertebrates globally, and environmental heterogeneity plays a key role in shaping their diversity patterns. This study aimed to update the anuran checklist of the Serra da Capivara National Park, Piauí State, northeastern Brazil, and investigate the influence of local heterogeneity on anuran abundance and richness. We recorded 16 anuran species across five families - Bufonidae, Hylidae, Leptodactylidae, Microhylidae, and Phyllomedusidae - most of which are typical Caatinga species or widely distributed taxa. Our results indicate that local heterogeneity did not significantly affect species richness; however, it had a notable impact on anuran abundance. We highlight the importance of heterogeneous habitats in supporting larger anuran populations and enhancing population stability. This study contributes to the understanding of biodiversity patterns and the primary environmental factors affecting anuran communities in Serra da Capivara National Park, offering insights to inform current and future conservation strategies.

The present work aims to address the recurrences of phytomorphs in the Serra da Capivara National Park, located in southwest Piauí, in the Northeast region of Brazil. The main one of the work is related to the importance of the relationship between flora and human groups located in the place, being evidenced by the rock scenes found in the rocky walls. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the importance of the scenography of the ritual of the tree for the human societies that inhabited the place, the magic of nature may have been a religious power used by local leaders, as a way of maintaining control of their society and threatening your enemies. The methodology used in the development of this work was: 1st) bibliographic and documental research, based on publications that deal with the theme; 2nd) field research, based on investigations in archaeological sites in the Serra da Capivara National Park. Finally, the study of the magic of nature in the ritual scene of trees can contribute to the understanding of the religious aspects of human societies that inhabited the place in the past.

Baselevel, Grade and Peneplain

We report the first estimate of jaguar density in the semi-arid caatinga biome of north-eastern Brazil. During August–October 2007, in the Serra da Capivara National Park, we used camera traps to identify and count jaguars. Jaguar abundance and density were calculated using mark-recapture models. In a sampling effort of 1,249 camera-trap-nights we identified 12 adult jaguars and estimated an abundance of 14 ± SE 3.6 jaguars in an area of 524 km2, i.e. a density of 2.67 ± SE 1.00 jaguars per 100 km2. This estimate is higher than in most other Brazilian biomes and indicates Serra da Capivara National Park as an important reserve for protecting jaguars in north-eastern Brazil.

Serra da Capivara National Park (SCNP) , situated in the south-east corner of the State of Piaui , north-east of Brazil, harbours one of the most expressive sets of ruinform landscapes carved on sandstone. Its geomorphological uniqueness arises from the combination of geological and climatic factors. The area is located next to the edge of the Parnaiba sedimentary basin of Paleozoic age, where it meets a Neoproterozoic fold belt and an Archean craton. SCNP lies in an ecotone between the caatinga and Cerrado biomes. Adding to its geomorphological singularity, the dramatic landscapes of the Park are overlapped by one of the most important prehistorical heritages of South America. Human presence on this remote tract of the Brazilian savannas dates back to the Late Pleistocene and is singled out by the exuberant collection of prehistoric rock painting and engravings. The relief of the SCNP is characterized by steep sandstone cliffs cut through by narrow valleys that form gorges and water gaps. The relief of the Park comprises three geomorphological units: the escarpment, the dip-slope and the longitudinal depression. Whereas along the escarpment one finds the most remarkable landmarks of the Park such as prominent cliffs and rock arches, gorges and canyons along the dip-slope also reveal an impressively dramatic scenery.

The Serra da Capivara National Park in northeastern Brazil is one of the richest archaeological regions in South America. Nonetheless, so far only two paleoindian skeletons have been exhumed from the local rockshelters. The oldest one (9870 +/- 50 BP; CAL 11060 +/- 50), uncovered in Toca dos Coqueiros and known as "Zuzu," represents a rare opportunity to explore the biological relationships of paleoindian groups living in northeastern Brazil. As previously demonstrated, South and Central America Paleoindians present skull morphology distinct from the one found nowadays in Amerindians and similar to Australo-Melanesians. Here we test the hypothesis that Zuzu shows higher morphological affinity with Paleoindians. However, Zuzu is a controversial skeleton since previous osteological assessments have disagreed on several aspects, especially regarding its sex. Thus, we compared Zuzu to males and females independently. Morphological affinities were assessed through clustering of principal components considering 18 worldwide populations and through principal components analysis of the individual dispersion of five key regions for America's settlement. The results obtained do not allow us to refute the hypothesis, expanding the known geographical dispersion of the Paleoindian morphology into northeast Brazil. To contribute to the discussion regarding Zuzu's sex, a new estimation is presented based on visual inspection of cranial and post-cranial markers, complemented by a discriminant analysis of its morphology in relation to the paleoindian sample. The results favor a male classification and are consistent with the mortuary offerings found in the burial, yet do not agree with a molecular determination.

This report presents the results of a microscopic use-wear analysis on a unifacial tool from an Itaparica-like context at the Toca dos Coqueiros site, in Serra da Capivara National Park, Northeastern Brazil. The analysis focuses on evidence of hafting and multifunctionality. These artifacts, found in central and northeastern Brazil from the late Pleistocene to the early Holocene, are associated with the Itaparica technocomplex. We present evidence of butchery, ochre processing, and hafting with resin residues, suggesting complex hafting systems. Functional hypotheses are proposed based on microscopic and macroscopic observations.

A long-term assessment of fire regimes in a Brazilian ecotone between seasonally dry tropical forests and savannah

O presente texto objetiva demonstrar a presença de cenas rupestres representando relações de pessoas com o mesmo sexo no Parque Nacional Serra da Capivara no Estado do Piauí. No parque são encontrados alguns recortes temáticos recorrentes nas artes rupestres, tais como, as cenas de caça e coleta, rituais, fauna e flora, violência. Além desses, há cenas da sexualidade humana e suas práticas sexuais e, também, no caso, mas específico, os das relações sexuais entre pessoas com o mesmo sexo. Em trabalhos de campo, observou-se de modo mais detalhado essa temática rupestre, com bastante recorrência, sendo necessário a ampliação dos debates e interpretações em torno de tais cenas. Dentre os resultados obtidos, destaca-se que os grupos ancestrais ocupantes das terras brasileiras representavam relações sociais e sexuais entre pessoas com o mesmo sexo, o que nos dá indícios para afirmação que as relações entre pessoas do mesmo sexo já são praticadas desde os mais remotos tempos, de modo livre, sem os mitos e tabus da contemporaneidade.

This article explores the trajectory of archaeologist Niède Guidon and her scientific-cultural legacy based on her discoveries in Serra da Capivara, Piauí. Based on her contribution to Brazilian archaeology and the importance of Serra da Capivara National Park as a world heritage site, we discuss the role of science and education in preserving historical memory and valuing indigenous cultures. Finally, we analyze the archaeoastronomical potential of the region's rock paintings, exploring the possible relationship between prehistoric graphic records and celestial observations of its ancient inhabitants. The analysis adopts an interdisciplinary perspective, integrating archaeology, cultural astronomy and history of science.

In July 1986, the cover of Nature featured rock paintings from the Pedra Furada rock shelter in the Serra da Capivara National Park in Brazil. In that issue, Niede Guidon, head of the excavations at Pedra Furada, co-authored an article that pushed back the arrival of the first humans to South America to 32,000 years ago. This controversial claim was widely reported by newspapers in Brazil and in other countries like the USA. Using this case, this paper aims to shed light on the role of newspapers in prehistory in three different ways. Firstly, it will analyze how Guidon's early outreach effort helped to transform the Serra da Capivara research into a well-known scientific project in Brazil – a project that tried to protect and economically promote this area, promoting at the same time the disputed claims. Secondly, this paper will highlight how Guidon's research adapted to the logic of the media by using the rock paintings at Pedra Furada as ‘legitimators’ of the idea of an early human presence in the shelter. And thirdly, this paper will emphasize how newspapers became the platform for the scientific debate that took place before, during and after the discussion in more traditional scientific media. All this will help to provide insight into how newspapers became a crucial agent in the construction of late 20th century prehistoric knowledge.