Dynamics of occupation, contacts, and exchanges at the coast of the State of Rio de Janeiro from 4.000 to 2.000 years before present

Abstract

We discuss the results obtained through the project “Dynamics of occupation, contacts and exchanges at the coast of the State of Rio de Janeiro from 4.000 to 2.000 years before present”, held at the southern (Ilha Grande) and southeastern (Arraial do Cabo) coast of that state. The project aims the delimitation of cultural units and also to reconstitute the mobility, dynamics of occupation, and exchange systems that existed at the coast. The results allowed the interpretation that the groups that occupied Ilha Grande, besides being excellent canoeists, kept an extense network of exchanges. Further researches held at the Arraial do Cabo, 280km away by the coastline, allowed the identification of elements in the material culture that provide support that contact and exchanges existed between the groups that occupied the studied areas.