News from unknown parts of the Amazon, interfluvial sites come to light

Summary

The expansion of archaeological research in the Amazon Basin, from the margins of major tributaries to small rivers and headwaters is populating empty portions of our maps. In the region of Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas State, Brazil, occupation of the interfluvial zone was neither ephemeral nor short lived with sites every two kilometers, on average. One extensively excavated site, Claudio Cutião, was occupied for over 1000 years beginning around 1600 BP. The formation of anthropic dark earth at 1150 BP marked a significant change in human impact on the locale. Another modification occurred near the end of site occupation when six mounds were constructed in a circular arrangement as seen elsewhere in Amazonia. The sequence of changes in the site's occupation, utilization and formation are explored in relation to regional cultural patterns and potential human activities, notably fishing in the rapids that front the site and exploitation of forest plant species.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage