Geophysical exploration of Guajará, a prehistoric earth mound in Brazil

Abstract

An interdisciplinary team studied Guajará , a prehistoric artificial mound in the Brazilian Amazon. The geophysical surveys and excavations were interactive; this interaction furnished more information than either geophysics or excavation alone could have provided. While seven different geophysical methods were applied, the magnetic survey reported here was particularly valuable. A detailed interpretation of this survey quantified the magnetic material in the mound, and this furnished an initial estimate of the number of cooking hearths in the mound. Ten test excavations were concentrated at magnetic anomalies. These excavations located cooking hearths and burial urns. A reevaluation of the magnetic survey was then done in order to refine the estimate of the number of hearths in the mound; this yielded an estimate of 2200 hearths. This allowed the population of the site to be approximated at 78-156 people. The geophysical survey and excavations also identified possible locations for subsequent broad-area excavations. ᭧

Archaeological mounds in Marajó Island in northern Brazil: A geological perspective integrating remote sensing and sedimentology

“…Such large mounds would require the removal, transport, and placement of approximately 630,000 m 3 of earth (equivalent to about 105,000 full trucks). A great effort would have been needed for raising such structures, particularly taking into account that each settlement was composed of only a few thousand people, at most, and a few hundred people at smaller sites (Roosevelt, 1991;Bevan & Roosevelt, 2003;Schaan, 2003Schaan, , 2004. Comparisons with other historical human feats lead us to conclude that this would not have been impossible.…”

“…Detailed investigations of many of these sites, undertaken in the past three decades, have suggested that they might represent one of the major complex cultures of Americas (Roosevelt, 1988(Roosevelt, , 1991(Roosevelt, , 1999Meggers, 2001;Bevan & Roosevelt, 2003).…”

povo das águas e sua expansão territorial

“…Foi realizada coleta de solo em todas as unidades escavadas (cerca de 2kg de solo por camada estratigráfica), mas as amostras ainda não foram analisadas. As escavações foram descritas detalhadamente em dois relatórios de pesquisa (Schaan, 2001;2003).…”

First geophysical results in the Archeological sites of Θούρια (Péloponnèse, Hellas) and Sibari-Thurii (southern Italy)

“…The application of different geophysical techniques in archaeological exploration has acquired an increasing interest during the last few years, thanks to their capability to best direct the explorative excavations and to explore wide areas in short time without damaging the buried features (Bevan andRoosevelt 2003, Patella andHesse, 1999). In particular, the joint application of electric and magnetic methods for the localization of buried structures has become a standard approach to solve some archaeological problems, due to both their non destructive character and rapidity of execution (Batmunkh et al 2004, Chavez et al 2001, Gaffney et al 2004.…”