Different and complementary landscapes: A case of study in the Flona-Tapajós

Summary

The goal of this presentation is to contribute to the ongoing debate in Amazonian studies to which human societies impacted and reshaped the landscapes. Landscapes are the results of a human action and environmental changes over time, providing a fundamental dataset for understanding social practices in a historically particular manner (Ingold 1993). Ultimately, this presentation sheds light on the formation and significance of settlement patterns within sites located in the Flona-Tapajós and Santarém region. The paper will present results of a survey conducted in six communities of the Flona-Tapajós in 2014. The majority of the 12 sites mapped contained ceramic fragments typical of the Santarém phase. However, ceramic fragments with Konduri style and from the Borda Incisa Tradition were recovered from sites near the Tapajós River. The presence of indigenous paths connecting the plateau to the riverine region suggests that the archaeological sites located on different landscape types were interconnected. In addition, some sites on the plateau are located in strategic positions, affording great visibility, evidence that point to a defensive function. This presentation contributes to archaeological theory because it attempts to unite landscape approaches to historical ecological perspectives.

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