Julieta Gómez Otero

Revious studies informed about the frequency of bone trauma in Patagonian hunter-gatherer populations, with a moderate increase observed from the Late Holocene onwards, which some authors associate with demographic growth. The objective of this study is to analyze trauma frequency in bone remains of individuals from the Atlantic coast and the lower Chubut River valley (Chubut province, Argentina) to discuss this trend. Forty adult individuals were studied (26 from the coast and 14 from the Valley). Injuries were quantified according to three periods, in 30 skeletons with chronological data: A (2500-1000 years BP; n=20); B (1000-500 years BP; n=4); and C (during the contact natives-Europeans; n=6). Fifteen lesions were recorded in 11 individuals (27.5%), six females and five males, six of them being middle-aged adults. Three skulls (9.7%) and nine postcranial skeletons (28.1) were diagnosed, without clear evidence of interpersonal violence. Six individuals (23.1%) are from coastal sites and five (35.7%) are from the valley, without statistical differences. Injuries were identified in four skeletons from period A (25%), one from period B (20%), and three from period C (50%). The results show a high frequency of trauma, with no significant differences among subregions. The frequency increases only during the contact period, but this data require further studies, including new chronological analyses.