A site of the Aratu ceramic tradition in Apucarana, PR

Abstract

The paper describes an archaeological site discovered in the city of Apucarana, PR, whose most important objects are typical of the ceramic tradition named Aratu, known from investigations in Central Brazil; but there are also important elements of the ceramic tradition named Itararé, known from studies in South Brazil. The settlement was established on a hill, that divides the waters of three important rivers: the Tibagi, the Pirapó and the Ivaí, tributaries of the Paranapanema River. The climate of the place is sub-hot, the atmospheric precipitation about 1.500 mm, the soil is rich, and the vegetation is tropical forest, bordering a subtropical forest whit Araucaria angustifolia. The site was dated, by AMS, AD 1390-1430, time when the Aratu tradition had established settlements in the Northeast, in the Central-west and in the Southeast of the country, in areas of dense Atlantic forest, in areas of ecological tensions in the “Cerrado” environment and in the tropical forest. To clarify the site’s position in the Aratu tradition, the paper recapitulates the most important data about the mentioned culture.