This paper presents an osteobiographic analysis of a single skeleton found in a small rock shelter known as Toca dos Coqueiros, Piauí, Brazil. This find is of interest because of an exceptionally old radiocarbon date associated with it. The date (11,060 BP) was obtained from charcoal associated directly with the skeleton. This is an interesting find because of the rarity of osteobiographic studies of skeletons of such antiquity. Despite the existence of two projectile points in association with the burial, the morphological and molecular analyses of the skeleton demonstrated that this was a female. She was about 35-45 years of age at death. The skeleton exhibited acute and chronic bone lesions. Oral pathology was also observed, including an interproximal dental groove, probably caused by the therapeutic use of a cactus thorn. This could be one of the oldest cases of an analgesic plant used in the prehistoric Americas.

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Foram analisados os traumas agudos associados à violência na amostra esquelética do sítio Praia da Tapera (SC), composta por 71 indivíduos adultos de ambos os sexos. Os traumas considerados foram as fraturas no crânio, na face e na ulna, e as lesões causadas por pontas de projétil. Apenas os indivíduos associados ao segundo momento de ocupação do sítio apresentaram traumas, tendo sido os homens mais afetados do que as mulheres (17,2% e 3,8% respectivamente). As interpretações ainda preliminares para a ocorrência dos conflitos estão relacionadas a elementos ideológicos e padrão de subsistência em uma perspectiva geral. Uma reflexão mais particular para o sítio relacionou os conflitos à sua localização estratégica, ou ainda à tentativa de rapto de mulheres.