Nonhuman Primates in the Archaeological Record of Northeastern Brazil A Case Study in Pernambuco State

Among the various materials recovered from archaeological excavations in Brazil, zooarchaeological remains have been the focus of studies on biodiversity, sustainability and relations between humans and nonhumans in the past, from the Pleistocene to the Holocene. In this chapter we present samples of primate cranial bones recovered in archaeological excavations at the Furna do Estrago site, a granitic rock shelter located in the city of Brejo da Madre de Deus, state of Pernambuco, in the Northeast region of Brazil. One sample with anthropic modifications (cutting, perforation, polishing), has been identified as Sapajus libidinosus; another sample with marks similar to the previous one has morphological characteristics that point more broadly to (nonhuman) Primates. These findings allow a reflection on biocultural aspects of the relations between humans and nonhumans, particularly the primates of the New World.