Borderlands in the Amazon forest: can we draw boundaries?

Summary

Amazonian occupations from 2500 BP to contact have been characterized into expansive traditions based on ceramic vessels. Meanwhile, ethnographic records point to diverse ethnic groups residing across the basin. Seeking variables that may be associated with pre-columbian cultural diversity we explore a possible intersection between groups, an area located at the headwaters of five tributaries to the Negro and Amazon Rivers. Archaeological data deriving from analyses of settlement structure, lithic technology, subsistence, and ceramics provide the context for reflecting on whether culturally meaningful boundaries can be defined between this and other regions or if the mixture of characteristics is indicative of other cultural interactions?

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage