This study aims to contribute to the understanding of human occupation in the Northern Chapada Diamantina, with a focus on the Morro do Chapéu region, through the analysis of the spatial distribution of archaeological sites in relation to landscape elements. Archaeological sites were identified in rock shelters located on slopes and open areas scattered across the plateau. The methodology involved bibliographic review, remote sensing analysis, geoprocessing, and fieldwork, enabling the examination of human group organization and their adaptive strategies in the face of environmental changes. The results of this research reinforce that the choice of areas occupied by prehistoric groups in Morro do Chapéu was not random but rather determined by strategic environmental and geomorphological factors, with the recurring presence of sites in protected natural shelters near water sources. The spatial analysis sought to identify recurring patterns in territorial occupation, highlighting the influence of relief, hydrography, and geomorphology on the distribution of sites. The archaeological remains documented in the Morro do Chapéu area provide insights into the interactions between human groups and the natural environment over time.
This article presents the results of an archaeological survey conducted at the Toca dos Oitenta site, located in the Serra da Capivara National Park. This is the site with the oldest data for rock art records recorded in the Northeast region of Brazil, between 5,890 and 5,650 and 7,840 and 7,600 BP. These chronologies were obtained through samples of carvings, which were found associated with the same stratigraphic layer where the rock engravings were located. To identify the techniques used to make these records, a bibliographic survey of the research carried out on rock engravings was carried out and a data collection protocol was developed for in-depth analysis. The engravings present at Toca dos Oitenta are mostly devoid of elements of recognition of the sensitive world, except for a few issues, where we can identify the presence of tridigits and representations of hands and feet. These representations are also seen in scenes of rock paintings, in many places. This aspect contributes to our belief in the recurrence of rock paintings, with or without changes in support. Thus, on the site researched, it can be inferred that those responsible for making the engravings there preferred the technique of scraping on a friable rock, such as sandstone.
The Covid-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to scientific research in Brazil, marked by social isolation, viral contamination, government neglect, and personal loss. Within this scenario, I began developing a research project on Urban Archaeology in the municipality of Tefé, in the state of Amazonas. This manuscript presents narratives of the challenges and affective dimensions involved in conducting a study on the archaeology of the recent past in the Middle Solimões region during the pandemic. The research adopts a methodological framework based on Urban Archaeology and the analysis of historical glass fragments. Preliminary results led to the identification of domestic and imported alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages that circulated during the rubber boom (late 19th to early 20th century), contributing to the reinterpretation of regional cultural heritage.
This work investigates how two historical cemeteries disappeared from the landscape and social memory of the residents of the old village of Boa Viagem and the locality of Setúbal (Recife-Pernambuco). Like the relationship in Landscape Archaeology, the old historical parishes of Santo Antônio and São José are known as "Twin Neighborhoods", Boa Viagem and Setúbal are a case study that presents similarities and specificities. The oldest record of the Boa Viagem Village Cemetery dates to 1870. The Setúbal Cemetery resulted from the transfer to a more distant area in the 1900s. What was at stake in this transfer of the Place of the Dead was to meet the growing real estate demands at the turn of the twentieth century.
This study aims to present data from the archaeological excavations carried out at the site of the Church of Our Lady of Conception in the city of Marechal Deodoro (AL), in order to reflect, through empirical evidence and the information contained in technical reports, on the elements of segregation also present in burial rites. The analysis of the burials shows that Catholic religious practices functioned as symbolic mechanisms of exclusion, erasing the memory of historically marginalized groups not only in life but also after death. The data reveal spatial and material distinctions that indicate ethnic, social, age-related, cultural, and economic inequalities inscribed in the very ways of burying. Thus, this text reflects on how these spaces segregated and silenced peoples and cultures through political, social, religious, and cultural oppression.
Archeological research on the Lagoa Santa region has been carried out since the 19th century, but it was Only in the 21st century that lithic studies gained focus and defined the main characteristics of the industry. This paper presents a historic synthesis of the lithic studies in Lagoa Santa region (Minas Gerais State, Brazil), and new data on the technological analysis of the lithic points found during archaeological excavations between 2000 and 2009. The results of this study corroborate previous conclusions that this category of artifact is not representative of the Lagoassantense archaeological culture.
The present work addresses the lithic materials evidenced at the Caminho Novo archaeological site, which is in Chapada do Araripe, in the municipality of Caldeirão Grande do Piauí (PI). 115 pieces of different raw materials were analyzed, and possible marks of use were identified in some of them. The analysis also demonstrated the existence of tembetás and pieces that probably indicate stages of production of this type of adornment.
The establishment of the Fort of São Joaquim, in Roraima, played a fundamental role in the occupation of the extreme north of Brazil in the eighteenth century. It deals with the primary reasons that demanded the construction of that fort, as well as the complexity of the logistics employed, both for the clearing of the area and for the establishment of a military post in the region. He evaluates their strategic role as border control and permanent landmark of the Portuguese presence in those lands. It suggests the archaeological study of the ruins of the fort and its surroundings as a basis for the actions of preservation and expansion of the local cultural memory, especially considering the small number of historical assets preserved in the region, the state of abandonment in which it is, which collaborates with the growing amnesia that is installed about the effort spent for its implementation and the importance of that fortification.
This article presents the first archaeological and photographic evidence of pre-1957 stone constructions on Trindade Island, South Atlantic, Brazil, which exhibit strong morphological and functional similarities to maroiços, the dry-stone agricultural structures found on Pico Island in the Azores, Portugal. These features predate the Oceanographic Post established by the Brazilian Navy in 1957 and appear in rare photographs from 1916 and 1959. Pottery fragments recovered from the site support a late-18th-century origin. Ethnographic parallels from the Azores suggest these structures were likely agricultural in nature, used to clear land and facilitate cultivation. Their resemblance to maroiços, sometimes misinterpreted as megalithic or ceremonial in function, reinforces their utilitarian role in a harsh, insular environment. We propose that these constructions be recognized as cultural heritage and protected by Brazilian authorities, as material evidence of a little known Azorean presence on Trindade Island.
The Parque Floresta Fóssil, located in Teresina, Piauí, houses a collection of fossilized trunks around 280 million years old, as well as relevant archaeological sites. This article aims to analyze the social and environmental impacts resulting from the process of revitalizing the park and the construction of the Museum of Paleontology. Based on ongoing doctoral research, the study also addresses educational initiatives that aim to mitigate these impacts, highlighting the importance of preserving heritage and integrating the local community.
This article analyzes gender representations found in subfields such as Gender Archaeology, Queer Archaeology, and Feminist Archaeology, adopting a critical perspective grounded in gender theory, feminist studies, and Queer theory. The aim is to understand how gender identities were constructed and represented before and during the interpretation of material culture, emphasizing the need to avoid imposing contemporary concepts onto non modern representations. The methodology is based on a bibliographic review focused on the social construction of gender and its influence on archaeological interpretations. The research advocates for the application of Queer theory as a tool to challenge gender and sexual normativity, highlighting the reappropriation of the term "Queer" within the Brazilian context as transviado, in opposition to colonial and oppressive norms. The article concludes that discussions between archaeology and gender must be constantly updated to meet contemporary social and political demands, promoting inclusive, decolonial, and plural interpretations of human identities.
This work analyzed the religious manifestation, “benditos da Maria do Estevão” present in the Lagoa das Vacas community, rural area of Coronel José Dias, a tradition that began in 1965 and has continued to this day. Here we sought to present the devotion and praises to Our Lady of Health, under the eyes of the people who worship in the form of the blessed, within a context of faith, belief and holiness of Mary (under the devotional nomenclature of Our Lord of Health) and Saint Joseph, these are the saints whose devotions appear most frequently in local festivities. In addition to devotion to the saints, we also present the rituals that make up the history of the novena. People perform their devotions at family gatherings, proceeding and recognizing this cultural practice, cultivated to this day; This is how new generations spread, due to their great importance in the community. In this way, the visibility of this religious manifestation was justified by the fact that throughout this journey, it has maintained its faith and culture. Therefore, not letting it fall into oblivion is essential for the cultural appreciation of the blessed.
In archaeological practice, the temporal dimension, with emphasis on the criterion of antiquity, served as the basis for establishing paradigms on the definition of what archaeological heritage would be. In contrast, especially in the last decades, the analysis of contemporary contexts through archaeological point of view, has become increasingly common, thus enabling a greater plurality of themes, heritages and social groups studied. In this way, this article aims to present, from an archaeological perspective, the ruins of the first headquarters of the municipality of Pilão Arcado-BA, known as Pilão Velho. This place, which used to be the municipal headquarters, was destroyed due to the construction of the Barragem de Sobradinho, hydroeletric dam built in the 1970s turning this city into an island due to the damming of the waters. Therefore, in the present article we aim to debate the symbolism and definition of archaeological heritage and carry out reflections regarding the applications of these concepts within the ruins of Pilão Velho.
The coastal region of the State of Piauí has archaeological records that had their first attempt at systematization in the 1990s and the most recent one about two decades. Therefore, it is considered relevant to contribute with a more recent and detailed mapping, which incorporates new variables and theoretical concerns, to stimulate other readings about the archaeological context of the region. Consequently, this study aims to take a picture with the archaeological research that take the coastal region of the Piauí as its empirical and thematic referent. It is about systematizing these records to form the reflection on the theoretical-methodological instruments used, the concepts of cartography and mapping, especially their use by Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, and Bruno Latour. For that reason, the concept of maintenance of knowledge is proposed, translating into a cartographic system the knowledge produced for the region, starting from the reflection on how different archaeological epistemologies lead to different classifications of archaeological spaces.
The Lagoa de Fora community, essentially rural, located approximately 12 km of São Raimundo Nonato, in the southeast of the state of Piauí, was founded during the transition of 19th to 20th century, by Serapião José de Negreiros e Anna Rosalina das Virgens, where they constituted a family of thirteen children, of which eight of them settled at the community. This text aimed to map and characterize the first domestic unities that were built and occupied by Serapião and Ana Rosalina’s children, using the materiality and memorial oral narratives from members of the community, to understand the initial conformation of the landscape and the relations stablished with it during its development. Using the postulates of the Archaeology of the Present, and Archaeology of Landscape, it was possible to understand that the establishment of the community is linked to kinship and the access to some kind of resources, especially hydrological. We can also observe the application and maintenance of vernacular techniques in the construction of the domestic unities.
This article analyzes the socio-educational impact of the Caatingauí Project, developed in the state of Piauí, focusing on the preservation of the Cultural and Environmental Heritage of the Caatinga biome. The initiative is based on the articulation between Heritage Education (PE) and dialogical Environmental Education (EE), using scientific dissemination as a vector for social transformation. The method includes conducting itinerant workshops in 40 municipalities, teacher training and basic education classes, family farming fairs, virtual lectures, and the structuring of collaborative networks. The results demonstrate an effective transfer of technology and the formation of specialized human capital, evidenced by the active participation of government, academia, business, and organized civil society segments. It is concluded that the project consolidates an endogenous development model for sustainability, innovation, protection of the natural heritage of the Caatinga biome, support for the promotion of food security, and collaboration towards achieving SDG 2 of the 2030 Agenda, through the internalization of sustainable practices.
In this paper, we seek to demonstrate how investigations into the old route and between Povoação Jenipapo and Fazenda Onça reveal several layers of historical occupations, and even precolonial ones, that can be analyzed based on the spatial developments of this route within the local road system itself and the landscap. This is a study in which historical paths are understood from the perspective of Landscape Archaeology. This route, which is still popularly known in the central urban área of the city as “Estrada do Junco”, was most likely the first colonial route to culminate in this spatial cutout, in addition to having been continually shaped by the movement of people, other animals and objects that moved in flows throught the development of this region. We propose the use of methodologies that rande from historical collections, such as documentar sources, old maps or iconography; to systematic archaeological surveys in sample sections of the studie route. To improve our spatial analysis, we will also use the database of the Spatialities of the Sertão Project: interfaces between geotechnologies, archaeology and historical cartography, carried out within the scope of the Laboratory for Representation of Archaeological Spaces of Univasf (Labresparq/ Univasf), extracting and developing new cartographic combinations useful for our interpretations.
This article analyzes the impact of digital colonialism on the preservation of archaeological heritage, addressing the cultural and social implications of the use of digital technologies. These tools are often applied without considering the cultural meanings of artifacts for local communities. Digital colonialism refers to Western domination in the digital space, marginalizing less privileged groups. A decolonial approach to digital archaeology is proposed, considering geopolitical contexts and local experiences. It is essential to develop computational systems in collaboration with peripheral communities. Case studies illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of digital technologies in archaeological research and dissemination. The relationship between preservation, public policies, cultural rights, and social participation is also discussed. Heritage education is also highlighted as a crucial factor. The text reflects on the challenges of a more inclusive archaeology in the digital age. The goal is to ensure that preservation directly benefits the communities involved, promoting justice and equity.
This paper presents an archaeological and geophysical prospecting study at the Toca Pequena da Areia (TPA) site in the Serra da Capivara National Park (Brazil). The rock shelter has cave paintings and surface sediments in sandstone. The electrical resistivity method (Dipole-Dipole and Horizontal Electrical Tracking) was used, with eight data collection lines, generating geoelectrical sections. The results revealed three distinct zones: on the right, shallow sediments (15 cm) on sandstone rock; in the center, layers up to 1 m with organic matter and sand; on the left, sediments up to 5 cm with organic material. The detected anomalies suggest archaeological potential, indicating viable areas for excavation. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of geophysics in identifying subsurface structures, aiding future research at the site.
