Impact of pre-Columbian “geoglyph” builders on Amazonian forests

Over 450 pre-Columbian (pre-AD 1492) geometric ditched enclosures (“geoglyphs”) occupy ∼13,000 km² of Acre state, Brazil, representing a key discovery of Amazonian archaeology. These huge earthworks were concealed for centuries under terra firme (upland interfluvial) rainforest, directly challenging...

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Published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 114; no. 8; pp. 1868 - 1873
Main Authors Watling, Jennifer, Iriarte, José, Mayle, Francis E., Schaan, Denise, Pessenda, Luiz C. R., Loader, Neil J., Street-Perrott, F. Alayne, Dickau, Ruth E., Damasceno, Antonia, Ranzi, Alceu
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States National Academy of Sciences 21.02.2017
Subjects
Archaeology
Brazil
Conservation of Natural Resources
Deforestation
Ecosystem studies
Environmental impact
Forest products
Human influences
Humans
Rainforest
Rainforests
Social Sciences
Acre Brazil
paleoecology
pre-Columbian land use
Amazonian rainforest
Amazonian archaeology
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Summary:Over 450 pre-Columbian (pre-AD 1492) geometric ditched enclosures (“geoglyphs”) occupy ∼13,000 km² of Acre state, Brazil, representing a key discovery of Amazonian archaeology. These huge earthworks were concealed for centuries under terra firme (upland interfluvial) rainforest, directly challenging the “pristine” status of this ecosystem and its perceived vulnerability to human impacts. We reconstruct the environmental context of geoglyph construction and the nature, extent, and legacy of associated human impacts. We show that bamboo forest dominated the region for ≥6,000 y and that only small, temporary clearings were made to build the geoglyphs; however, construction occurred within anthropogenic forest that had been actively managed for millennia. In the absence of widespread deforestation, exploitation of forest products shaped a largely forested landscape that survived intact until the late 20th century.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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Edited by James O'Connell, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, and approved December 28, 2016 (received for review August 27, 2016)
Author contributions: J.W., J.I., F.E.M., D.S., and A.R. designed research; J.W., L.C.R.P., N.J.L., F.A.S.-P., and R.E.D. performed research; J.W., J.I., F.E.M., L.C.R.P., N.J.L., F.A.S.-P., R.E.D., and A.D. analyzed data; and J.W., J.I., F.E.M., D.S., L.C.R.P., N.J.L., and F.A.S.-P. wrote the paper.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1614359114