Preliminary analysis of dental cementum of Lama guanicoe for the estimation of age and season at death: Studies of modern specimens and further archaeological applications

Over the past 30 years cementum studies have expanded the range of mammalian species for which the method can be applied in archaeology. However, very few data are today available about the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) which was the dominant large ungulate in South America in prehistoric and historical times. The purpose of our project is to develop and improve the cementum increment analysis for this species using modern reference data sets before its application to archaeological assemblages. The present paper presents the preliminary results obtained from the study of canines and incisors of modern specimens and will discuss the potentiality and limitations of the technique.