Mixing the Past: Unraveling the Archaeological-Paleontological Palimpsest at Argentinean Dry Pampa (Casa De Piedra 1, La Pampa Province)

This study investigates the taphonomic history, site formation processes, and paleontological and archaeofaunal record of Casa de Piedra 1 (CP1) in the Argentine Dry Pampas. The assemblage forms a long-time palimpsest that integrates materials spanning different temporal scales, including reworked Late Cretaceous–Paleocene marine animals and Holocene continental zooarchaeological fauna. The record reflects the combined effects of long-term fluvial reworking, surface exposure, vegetation development, pedogenesis, carbonate precipitation, and anthropogenic activities. These processes degraded skeletal preservation and obscured bone surface modifications, yielding a moderate- to low-resolution palimpsest and indicating that observed alteration frequencies represent minimum estimates. The assemblage preserves recurrent evidence of faunal resource exploitation—primarily Rhea sp. eggshells and large vertebrates—aligning with regional archaeozoological patterns and indicating continuity in hunter-gatherer subsistence during the Holocene. Furthermore, CP1 suggests the long-term persistence of arid, open xerophytic habitats throughout the Holocene within a broader framework of regional paleoenvironmental variability. Overall, CP1 illustrates how complex interactions between recurrent human occupations and multi-scale sedimentary and diagenetic processes shape the archaeological record.