BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA—The possible butchered bones of a glyptodont radiocarbon dated to some 20,000 years ago have been unearthed in Argentina, according to a Live Science report. The incomplete skeleton of the giant, extinct relative of the armadillo was found on the banks of the Reconquista River in Argentina’s Pampean region, near Buenos Aires. Paleoanthropologist Miguel Delgado of the National University of La Plata and his colleagues photographed and created 3-D scans of the bones in order to examine the 32 marks, some of which had a V-shaped cross section sometimes associated with tool use. Statistical analysis suggests that they could not be random, Delgado said. The study also ruled out carnivores as the creators of the marks, and natural weathering of bone exposed to the elements, he added. The researchers concluded that humans butchered the 600-pound animal and likely ate a large amount of meat from its pelvis and tail. “While we haven’t found any tools yet, it’s worth noting that we’ve only excavated a small portion of the site, and there may be more evidence, such as lithic tools,” Delgado said. The discovery could also push back interactions between humans and megafauna in the region by about 6,000 years. Read the original scholarly article about this research in PLOS ONE. To read about other butchered glyptodont remains uncovered in Argentina, go to "Around the World: Argentina."
Possible Butchered Megafauna Bones Found in Argentina
News July 19, 2024
Recommended Articles
Digs & Discoveries July/August 2022
The Great Maize Migration
Digs & Discoveries January/February 2022
Japan's Genetic History
Digs & Discoveries November/December 2016
Coast over Corridor
Features November/December 2024
Let the Games Begin
How gladiators in ancient Anatolia lived to entertain the masses
-
Features July/August 2024
The Assyrian Renaissance
Archaeologists return to Nineveh in northern Iraq, one of the ancient world’s grandest imperial capitals
(Land of Nineveh Archaeological Project) -
Letter from Nigeria July/August 2024
A West African Kingdom's Roots
Excavations in Benin City reveal a renowned realm’s deep history
(Mike Pitts) -
Artifacts July/August 2024
Etruscan Oil Lamp
(Courtesy Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona; © DeA Picture Library/Art Resource, NY) -
Digs & Discoveries July/August 2024
Bronze Age Beads Go Abroad
(Courtesy Cambridge Archaeological Unit)