RESUMO Este trabalho relata a datação de um dente humano e concha fóssil encontrados no sítio arqueológico Toca do Enoque, localizado no Parque Nacional da Serra das Confusões (Piauí, Brasil), onde muitas pinturas pré-históricas foram encontradas. Durante uma escavação arqueológica, três enterramentos com esqueletos humanos e algumas conchas foram encontrados. Para a determinação da dose equivalente recebida por cada amostra, as medidas de Espectroscopia por Ressonância do Spin Eletrônico (ESR) para as datações do dente e da concha foram realizadas de forma independente por dois laboratórios brasileiros, em Ribeirão Preto (USP) e em Recife (UFPE). As idades obtidas para o dente e a concha por ambos os laboratórios são semelhantes (~ 4.8kyBP). Estes resultados estão de acordo com a datação por C-14 da concha e outras amostras (carvão) encontradas no mesmo sepultamento. Assim, este trabalho oferece uma comparação válida de resultados de datação por ESR de dois laboratórios independentes e entre dois métodos de datação, ou seja, C-14 e ESR com resultados que mostram a validade para a datação por ESR para essa faixa de idades.

ABSTRACT This work reports the dating of a fossil human tooth and shell found at the archaeological site Toca do Enoque located in Serra das Confusões National Park (Piauí, Brazil). Many prehistoric paintings have been found at this site. An archaeological excavation unearthed three sepulchers with human skeletons and some shells. Two Brazilian laboratories, in Ribeirão Preto (USP) and Recife (UFPE), independently performed Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) measurements to date the tooth and the shell and obtain the equivalent dose received by each sample. The laboratories determined similar ages for the tooth and the shell (~4.8 kyBP). The results agreed with C-14 dating of the shell and other samples (charcoal) collected in the same sepulcher. Therefore, this work provides a valid inter-comparison of results by two independent ESR-dating laboratories and between two dating methods; i.e., C-14 and ESR, showing the validity of ESR dating for this range of ages.

Organic remains can be found in many different environments. They are the most significant source for paleoparasitological studies as well as for other paleoecological reconstruction. Preserved paleoparasitological remains are found from the driest to the moistest conditions. They help us to understand past and present diseases and therefore contribute to understanding the evolution of present human sociality, biology, and behavior. In this paper, the scope of the surviving evidence will be briefly surveyed, and the great variety of ways it has been preserved in different environments will be discussed. This is done to develop to the most appropriated techniques to recover remaining parasites. Different techniques applied to the study of paleoparasitological remains, preserved in different environments, are presented. The most common materials used to analyze prehistoric human groups are reviewed, and their potential for reconstructing ancient environment and disease are emphasized. This paper also urges increased cooperation among archaeologists, paleontologists, and paleoparasitologists.