ecofactos

Ecofactos, in archaeology and related disciplines, are natural materials found at or associated with archaeological sites that have cultural relevance but are not modified by humans. They provide information about past environments, economies, diets, and seasonal patterns, complementing artifacts that are the result of human manufacture.

Examples of ecofactos include plant seeds and fruit pits, wood fragments, charcoal, pollen, phytoliths, animal bones and teeth, shells, bone collagen, and occasionally dung or spit. These materials help reconstruct vegetation, climate, hunting and gathering or farming practices, and resource exploitation without being objects deliberately shaped by people.

Distinguishing ecofactos from artifacts is central in excavation and analysis. Artifacts are objects manufactured or modified by humans, while ecofactos are typically natural remains used as indicators of past life and ecosystems. Analytical approaches for ecofactos encompass flotation and macrobotanical analysis to recover seeds and charcoal, zooarchaeology for animal remains, palynology for pollen, phytolith analysis, isotopic studies, and taphonomic assessments to understand preservation biases and context.

The study of ecofactos is essential for interpreting subsistence strategies, environmental change, seasonality, trade in natural resources, and human–environment interactions. Limitations include preservation biases, differential degradation, and disturbed contexts that complicate interpretation. Proper recovery and contextual documentation are crucial to avoid misinterpretation.

Notes: In Spanish-language scholarship, ecofactos is the common term for these natural remnants; in English-language literature, the term ecofact is often used in the singular. See also artifacts, features, zooarchaeology, palynology.