The Recreio Shellmound: geoarchaeology, ictioarchaeology and etnoarchaeology

Abstract This article addresses the shellmound occupation process on the Itapeva barrier, identifying the sites and their builders within the chronology, along with their choices for implementation in a landscape affected by the dynamics of paleoenvironmental transformations. The Recreio shellmound’s position on a shallow coastal plain demonstrates a cultural choice based on an ancient way of life that was already developing on the southern and southeastern coast of Brazil almost two thousand years ago. While the excavations identified fish and fishing implements that were present during prehistorical times, they also indicated the need for associated traditional strategies and knowledge which can only be obtained through ethnography. The ichthyoarcheological data suggest an initial stage of occupation focused on species with more predictable availability such as mullet (Mugil sp.) and kingcroakers (Menticirrhus sp.). After the sites were definitively established, fishing strategies became more generalist; use of lakes and flooded areas is seen in the presence of species such as mullet (Mugil sp.), freshwater catfish (Rhamdia sp.), sea catfish (Genidens sp.), cichlids (Cichlidae), whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri), and hake (Cynoscion sp.). In general, each species seems to indicate different fishing strategies.