Plant macro-remains from a rock shelter in the temperate forests of southern Chile

Abstract

The study of plant macro-remains from archaeological sites provides substantial information on the activities occurring in a settlement and living conditions during its occupation. This article reports the plant macro-remains (charred seeds and wood charcoal) recovered from a rock shelter in the temperate forests of southern Chile (Latitude 39°S). The main goal of the study was to assess the potential of these remains to indicate collection, use and consumption of plant resources available in this ecosystem by hunter-gatherer groups during the Holocene. Remains from three cultural periods were collected using wet sieving and flotation techniques. Macro-botanical remains found in the rock shelter represented a variety of native trees, shrubs and herbs, both native and introduced. Charred seeds included 19 plant taxa, divided into three groups according to their source: collected foods, including pulses (1 species) and grains (3 taxa, 1 probably cultivated); seeds introduced with food items, including fruit stones and nutshells from several native shrubs and trees; seeds introduced with non-food items, mainly from tree species with no evident use. Wood charcoal fragments represented 28 different native taxa (26 dicotyledons, 1 monocotyledon and 1 gymnosperm), none with a specific identifiable use. Analysis of seed remains indicated the use of grains and, to some extent, collection of fruits and nuts over summer and autumn. The analysis of dispersed charcoal fragments and those accumulated in hearths were especially useful to describe the vegetation surrounding the rock shelter, infer successional events, and identify taxa undetectable in the seed record.