The geographical distribution of the Amazonian Dark Earths in the Lower Amazon

Summary

The geographical distribution of the Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE) in the Amazon region presents interpretive gaps. Understanding their distribution patterns might reveal the dynamics of indigenous settlements during pre-colonial times, as well as landscape management practices, and chronology. In the Upper Xingu, the distribution of ADE indicates that the smaller satellite villages were interconnected by roads to a larger village center. Santarém and Belterra regions, in the Lower Amazon, ADE sites have been located in distinct landscape types presenting great variation in their area, shape, position, depth, and density of archaeological artifacts. The large number of ADE sites across different types of landscapes results from long term of human occupation, an increase in population density and social complexity in the last millennium. In this paper, we will ponder on the impact of European contact during the colonial period in the formation and spatial distribution of ADE in the Belterra Plateau.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Multidisciplinary Approaches to Amazonian landscapes

Keywords

Spatial Coverage