Les sites préhistoriques côtiers du Brésil meridional : écosystèmes littoraux et hommes

The sambaquis (or shell-mounds) are a very common type of prehistoric archaeological site along the Brazilian southeast coast. Built between 6.000 and 1.000 years BP, they point to an efficient human adaptation to that area. Generally identified as rich environments with a high carring capacity, the coastal ecosystems have only been occupied lately by human race, and this adaptation of nomad bands to the nearshore conditions seems to bring great social, economic and cultural changes. The analysis of archaeofaunal samples from three sambaquis offers an example of the nature of the prehistoric men adaptation to these environments.