Imagens como processos documentais dos contextos funerários na Arqueologia no Cariri Ocidental Paraibano

Abstract

Images play a fundamental role in the production of scientific knowledge. In the archaeological field, visual records are essential as documentation, both for analyzing, interpreting, and preserving memory and information, as well as for communicating and disseminating research. However, there is a considerable gap in the treatment, use, and dissemination of images in archaeology. According to Molyneaux (1997), until the 1990s, visual records were poorly understood or simply ignored by researchers. In this context, images were not perceived as a valuable source of information and documentation, nor were they objects of study in the archaeological field. Therefore, this research aimed to analyze and discuss the production of images (photographs) as a form of documentary processing and visualization of the archaeological record, especially in funerary contexts and archaeological excavation work. To this end, the general objective was to investigate the imagery produced during excavations at the Parque das Pedras cemetery site in the Cariri region of Paraíba, which is part of the digital collection of the Brazilian Archaeology Laboratory, affiliated with the Center for Historical and Regional Documentation and Information (LAB/NDIHR) at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB). This investigation aimed to determine whether it was possible to describe the funerary contexts based on the symbols contained in the photographs. It is noteworthy that the study proposes an approach inspired by the post- disciplinary aspect of archaeology, as discussed by Fahlander and Oestigaard (2004). To this end, the methodology articulates Peircean semiotics, funerary archaeology, and visual anthropology. Thus, photographs are understood not only as a database, but also as an instrumental framework for safeguarding documentary and cultural skills. Since each excavation is a unique and irreversible event (Pessis, 1982), the images are historical records of archaeological work.