Eco-archaeological regions in the Bolivian Amazon

Lombardo, Umberto; Canal-Beeby, Elisa; Veit, Heinz

doi:10.5194/gh-66-173-2011

Cited by 33 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 17 publications

(36 reference statements)

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“…Our knowledge about the chronology, complexity and evolution of pre-Columbian cultures in the LM is still in its early stages (Prümers and Jaimes Betancourt, 2014). The archaeological landscape is roughly divided by the Río Mamoré; on the western side no raised fields exist, while on the eastern side thousands of hectares of fields have been documented (Denevan, 2001;Lombardo et al, 2011b). Detailed archaeological research has mostly concentrated in the Monumental Mounds Region (MMR) (Prümers, 2008;Bruno, 2010;Dickau et al, 2012;Jaimes Betancourt, 2012;Lombardo and Prümers, 2010;Lombardo et al, 2013), in the south-western LM.…”

Section: The Archaeology Of Raised Fields In the Llanos De Moxosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nowadays, the LM is sparsely inhabited, soils have been considered unsuitable for agriculture and the main economic activity is extensive cattle grazing (Erickson, 2003b). However, the presence of numerous pre-Columbian earthworks indicates that in the past, humans modified the landscape in several ways and cultivated crops (Denevan, 2001;Erickson, 2008;Lombardo et al, 2011b;Jaimes Betancourt, 2013;Prümers and Jaimes Betancourt, 2014;Carson et al, 2015). The number and variety of earthworks has made the area of the LM one of the most important examples of pre-Columbian anthropogenic landscapes in the Amazon Basin (Erickson, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rodrigues¹

2016

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Pre-Columbian raised field agriculture in the tropical lowlands of South America has received increasing attention and been the focus of heated debates regarding its function, productivity, and role in the development of pre-Columbian societies. Even though raised fields are all associated to permanent or semi-permanent high water levels, they occur in different environmental contexts. Very few field-based studies on raised fields have been carried out in the tropical lowlands and little is known about their use and past management. Based on topographic surveying and mapping, soil physical and chemical analysis and OSL and radiocarbon dating, this paper provides insight into the morphology, functioning and time frame of the use of raised fields in the southwestern Llanos de Moxos, Bolivian Amazon. We have studied raised fields of different sizes that were built in an area near the town of San Borja, with a complex fluvial history. The results show that differences in field size and height are the result of an adaptation to a site where soil properties vary significantly on a scale of tens to hundreds of metres. The analysis and dating of the raised fields sediments point towards an extensive and rather brief use of the raised fields, for about 100-200 years at the beginning of the 2nd millennium.

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Section: The Archaeology Of Raised Fields In the Llanos De Moxosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response to anonymous Referee #1

Rodrigues¹

2016

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“…The archaeological landscape is roughly divided by the Río Mamoré; on the western side no raised fields exist, while on the eastern side thousands of hectares of fields have been documented (Denevan, 2001;Lombardo et al, 2011b). Detailed archaeological research has mostly concentrated in the Monumental Mounds Region (MMR) (Prümers, 2008;Bruno, 2010;Dickau et al, 2012;Jaimes Betancourt, 2012;Lombardo and Prümers, 2010;Lombardo et al, 2013), in the south-western LM.…”

Section: The Archaeology Of Raised Fields In the Llanos De Moxosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…parallel or randomly scattered, with or without embankment and causeways). These different types of fields tend to be present in different parts of the LM and do not normally coexist in the same site (Denevan, 2001;Lombardo et al, 2011b). Nevertheless, recently it has been shown that, in at least two cases in the LM, differences in shape, height and layout can vary considerably within the same cultural area, and are the result of an adaptation to the distinct local edaphology (Lombardo et al, 2011a;Rodrigues et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An insight into pre-Columbian raised fields: the case of San Borja, Bolivian lowlands

Rodrigues

Lombardo

Trauerstein

et al. 2016

SOIL

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Abstract. Pre-Columbian raised field agriculture in the tropical lowlands of South America has received increasing attention and been the focus of heated debates regarding its function, productivity, and role in the development of pre-Columbian societies. Even though raised fields are all associated to permanent or semi-permanent high water levels, they occur in different environmental contexts. Very few field-based studies on raised fields have been carried out in the tropical lowlands and little is known about their use and past management. Based on topographic surveying and mapping, soil physical and chemical analysis and OSL and radiocarbon dating, this paper provides insight into the morphology, functioning and time frame of the use of raised fields in the south-western Llanos de Moxos, Bolivian Amazon. We have studied raised fields of different sizes that were built in an area near the town of San Borja, with a complex fluvial history. The results show that differences in field size and height are the result of an adaptation to a site where soil properties vary significantly on a scale of tens to hundreds of metres. The analysis and dating of the raised fields sediments point towards an extensive and rather brief use of the raised fields, for about 100-200 years at the beginning of the 2nd millennium.

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Anthropogenic soil and settlement organisation in the Bolivian Amazon

et al. 2020

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Anthropogenic soils known as Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs) have long been known as a key component of subsistence systems for various pre-Columbian Amazonian populations. Often treated as a single category, ADE systems consist of two broad anthrosols (human-modified soils): the darker ADE (traditionally known as terra preta) and a lighter brown Amazonian Brown Earth (ABE; traditionally known as terra mulata). Data on the characteristics and spatial distribution of these anthrosols are severely lacking. Transects of soil test pits at the Triunfo and Versalles archaeological sites in the Iténez Forest, in the Bolivian Amazon, show variability in the distribution of soil types, revealing aspects of settlement organisation and resource management. Geochemical, isotopic and archaeobotanical data from an ADE, ABE and control soil profile from the Triunfo site, established ca. 500 cal BCE, characterise the two anthrosols as distinct components of a polyculture agroforestry subsistence system that combines anthropogenic soil fertilisation, closed-canopy forest enrichment, limited forest clearance for crop cultivation and low-severity fire management.

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Eco-archaeological regions in the Bolivian Amazon

Cited by 33 publications

References 17 publications

Response to anonymous Referee #1

Response to anonymous Referee #1

An insight into pre-Columbian raised fields: the case of San Borja, Bolivian lowlands

Anthropogenic soil and settlement organisation in the Bolivian Amazon

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