Lucas Bueno

LUCAS DE MELO REIS BUENO, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil, was awarded a grant in October 2018 to aid research on “People in the Move: Peopling, Abandonment, and Territoriality in the Occupation Process of Central Brazilian Plateau.” The research conducted encompassed both field and laboratory work. Fieldwork took place in the state of Tocantins, Brazil, involving interventions at three archaeological sites in September 2019 and April 2022. The results confirm the region’s occupation at the end of the Pleistocene, with dates above 12,000 cal BP. During the mid-Holocene, the region appears to have been less occupied, with no traces of human remains in the studied rock shelters. However, for the late Holocene, there is abundant evidence of human occupation in the landscape. Through macro and micro botanical analyses, remnants of palm trees were identified in the archaeological record from the earliest moments of occupation, indicating considerable antiquity for the management processes of these trees. Domesticated vegetables, such as corn, beans, and peanuts, dating between 1,000 and 400 cal BP, were also documented. The analysis of lithic and ceramic assemblages, as well as rock art, indicates connections between rock shelters and open-air sites, forming territories with regional significance. This context mirrors that of other regions within the Central Brazilian Plateau and warrants further investigation to gain a deeper understanding of the historical processes and connections that contributed to the long process of South American peopling.