Ceramic and starch grain evidence and the social factors behind pan-Amazonian occupation processes ca. 3,500 BP

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Human agroforestry and landscaping practices in the Amazon Forest are now well-accepted phenomena among Amazonian archaeologists. Along the Amazon River, the oldest evidence of visible landscape modifications is largely associated with contexts in which pottery from the Pocó-Açutuba Tradition is identified, from 3,500 years BP. This tradition, in accordance with the archaeological literature, also appears to be the first material assemblage that was widely dispersed throughout different regions of the Amazon basin. For this presentation, we wish to consider and to reflect upon some social factors that could have acted in this process. To achieve this aim, we share some results of techno-morphological analysis of Pocó-Açutuba ceramic assemblages excavated from archaeological sites on the Madeira River, as well as some starch grain evidence associated with pottery residues. The data set informs us about a consistent vessel morphology and possible related feasting functions, which have several implications when considering the occupational processes that unfolded during the period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40174.0