Graphic reconstruction of ceramic forms from the Archaeological Site RS-TQ-141, Cruzeiro do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: preliminary approaches

Abstract

In this paper we present the preliminary results of the analysis of ceramic fragments from the archaeological site RS-TQ-141, located in Cruzeiro do Sul town, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. We present a graphic reconstruction of the shapes of Guarani ceramic vessels found during the initial excavation at the site. We use ethnohistorical analogies to reconstruct the forms of the vessels and to understand their functions according to the interpretative criteria established at the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s. Using this approach, we intended to assess the diversity of the containers used during the site occupation, the possible foods and beverages consumed, and to propose the functionality of the site. Although the sites in the region are dated to the European contact (15th century of the Christian era), we propose a comparative approach including other sites in the region, and we suggest comparative parameters with other sites with systematic investigations.