Building Coastal Landscapes: Zooarchaeology and Geoarchaeology of Brazilian Shell Mounds.

Brazilian shell sites are largely considered to have been multifunctional and the location of both sacred and secular activities. This article explores the joint contribution that zooarchaeological and geoarchaeological analysis can bring to understanding the depositional history of shell sites and their functions. This combined approach is applied to the study of two shell mounds that represent important aspects of the diverse array of shell sites found along the southern Brazilian coast. Jabuticabeira II is a monumental shell mound that has shown unquestionable evidence of being used mainly as a cemetery, and Encantada III is a smaller shell deposit whose function is more difficult to define. Research focusing on formation processes at Jabuticabeira II played an important role in developing a better understanding of the mortuary rituals performed at the site. In Encantada III, zooarchaeology and geoarchaeology contribute to a better characterization of its role as a short-term deposit of long-lasting permanence. Both shell sites and their practical and symbolical attributes represent examples of the complex dynamics of the anthropic construction of a landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]