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New Radiocarbon Ages of Luzia Woman, Lapa Vermelha IV Site, Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2016

Michel Fontugne*
Affiliation:
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (UMR8212 CNRS/CEA/UVSQ), Domaine du CNRS, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France. Email: [email protected]

Abstract

Luzia woman is considered one of the oldest Paleoindian skeletons found in the Americas. Luzia was found at the Lapa Vermelha IV site (Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, Brazil) in 1975 by the archaeologist Annette Laming-Emperaire (1917–1977) who sent to the Gif laboratory charcoals collected in the vicinity of the skeleton for radiocarbon dating. Twenty-nine charcoal samples were dated from different levels of the stratigraphy of the cave (Délibrias et al. 1986). Recently, new charcoal samples were discovered within Laming-Emperaire's correspondence and were subsequently dated by the Saclay AMS laboratory. The new results confirm the age of Luzia; however, the ages correspond to the younger part of the interval: charcoals found near Luzia's skull give an age of 10,030 ± 60 14C yr BP (11,243–11,710 cal BP).

Type
Archaeology of the Americas and Oceania
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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