Pedra Furada

Pedra Furada in the North-East of the Brésil probably represents the the oldest site archelogic human known in America.

The team of archeologists

A team of archeologists made up of the following researchers:

Niède Handlebar, member of the Foundation of the museum of the National park of Tightened da Capivara, as well as FUMDHAM - Fundação Museu C Homem Americano
Anne-Marie Pessis, Université of Paris and Université of Pernambuco, Recife, Brésil. Member of the Foundation of the museum of the American Man (FUMDHAM).
Fabio Parenti, Member of the Foundation of the museum of the American Man (FUMDHAM).
Claude Guerin, Service of Sciences of the Earth, University Claude Bernard, Lyon, France.
Evelyne Peyre, National center of Scientific research (CNRS), scientist of the biological laboratory of anthropology of the National Natural history museum of Natural history, Paris, France.
Guaciara Back Santos, School of research of physical sciences and technology, Australian National university, Department of the Science of the Earth, University of Irvine, California, E. - U.

History of the discovery

The site was updated and explored as of 1978 and especially in first half of the years 1980. A first report/ratio is published in 1986. The place reveals remainders of human bones, artefacts, as well as many parietal paintings.

The cave paintings of the cave of Pedra Furada in the National park of Tightened da Capivara located at the South-east of State of Piaui (center of Brazil) indicate one period being between 60 000 years and 55 000 years. These paintings which decorate this cave, represent images of glyptodons or giant armadillos, which died out before the last glacial period. They also show the oldest painting of a boat in the world (at least as old as exceptional paintings parietal of Kimberley in Australia of north, representative of the boats, whose dating by Grahame Walsh, expert in rupestral art, which studied them, went back them to 20.000 years, even 50.000 years). This area is rich in prehistoric sites spreading out in the same dates.

Taking away are sent in France for analyzes of carbon-14 (Center of the low radioactivities of the CNRS of Gif-sur-Yvette, in 1985). The first analyzes carried out with radiocarbon 14, reveal different dates on the charcoals excavated according to the various levels. The lowest archaeological layer of the human activity, in the shelter of rock of Pedra Furada, gave results to radiocarbon extending from 35 000 with 48 000 years.

A new process ABOX-SC (oxidation followed by stepped combustion acid-bases-wet), developed by Bird in 1999, made it possible to refine the dates. A total of seven charcoal samples coming from various hearths were subjected to analysis ABOX-SC and their contents of radiocarbon 14 were determined by spectrometry with the accelerator of mass, at the national university of Australia. With this novel method, the samples proved to be old beyond the limit of 48 000 years, indicating ages of 55 000 with 60 000 years.

560 worked objects (scraping, knives, points) will be thus gone back in a fork from dates going to 25 000 years with 32 000 years.

Some elements of a skeleton (molars and started from cranium) give, with the analysis with carbon-14, a date of approximately 13 000 with 15 000 years, that is to say more recent than the skeleton of Luzia gone back to approximately 35 000 years.

References

the quaternary layer of Pedra Furada (Piaui, Brazil); Fabio Parenti; Editions Seeks on Civilizations (ERC); French Documentation: 2002.
Handlebar, NR. and Delibrias, G. 1986. " Carbon-14 and the dating of human in America there are 32.000 ans." Nature 321:769 - 771.
Peyre, E., C. Guerin, NR. Handlebar, and Y. Coppens. 1998. “Of the human remainders of pleistocene in the cave of Garrincho, Piauí, Brazil.” Reports of the Academy of Science of Paris 327, series II, 335-360.
Re-examined of Athéna, March 2002; Vol.3, no.2: The settlement of Americas.
Bahn, Paul G.; " 50.000-Year-Old Americans off Pedra Furada, " Nature, 362:114, 1993
One has pleistocene human occupation At Pedra Furada, Brazil; MELTZER D.J.; ADOVASIO J. Mr.; DILLEHAY T.D.; Editions: Company off Biologists, Cambridge, R. - U., 1994; INIST-CNRS.
Natural and old off the deposits in Pedra Furada, Brazil; HANDLEBAR NR.; PESSIS HAS. - M.; PARENTI F.; FONTUGUE Mr.; GUERIN C.; ED.: Company off Biologists, Cambridge, R. - U., 1996; INIST-CNRS.

External bonds

Fundação Museu makes Homem Americano (FUMDHAM); Fundação Seridó, boa average Viagem 5212, Anna Nery, 816. , Recife 51030-000; Brazil.
http://www.fumdham.org.br/
http://www.athenapub.com/10pfurad.htm

Internal bonds

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