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More than 10,000 pre-Columbian earthworks are still hidden throughout Amazonia

Peripato, Vinicius, Levis, Carolina, Moreira, Guido A, Gamerman, Dani, ter Steege, Hans, Pitman, Nigel C A, de Souza, Jonas G, Iriarte, Jose, Robinson, Mark, Junqueira, André Braga, and others. (2023) More than 10,000 pre-Columbian earthworks are still hidden throughout Amazonia. Science, 382 (6666). pp. 103-109. ISSN 0036-8075. (doi:10.1126/science.ade2541) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:103327)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided. (Contact us about this Publication)
Official URL:
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ade2541

Abstract

Indigenous societies are known to have occupied the Amazon basin for more than 12,000 years, but the scale of their influence on Amazonian forests remains uncertain. We report the discovery, using LIDAR (light detection and ranging) information from across the basin, of 24 previously undetected pre-Columbian earthworks beneath the forest canopy. Modeled distribution and abundance of large-scale archaeological sites across Amazonia suggest that between 10,272 and 23,648 sites remain to be discovered and that most will be found in the southwest. We also identified 53 domesticated tree species significantly associated with earthwork occurrence probability, likely suggesting past management practices. Closed-canopy forests across Amazonia are likely to contain thousands of undiscovered archaeological sites around which pre-Columbian societies actively modified forests, a discovery that opens opportunities for better understanding the magnitude of ancient human influence on Amazonia and its current state.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1126/science.ade2541
Additional information: For the purpose of open access, the author(s) has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising
Uncontrolled keywords: Indigenous societies, Amazonian forests, pre-Columbian
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation
Funders: European Research Council (https://ror.org/0472cxd90)
Natural Environment Research Council (https://ror.org/02b5d8509)
SWORD Depositor: JISC Publications Router
Depositing User: JISC Publications Router
Date Deposited: 08 Nov 2023 10:50 UTC
Last Modified: 21 Mar 2024 11:06 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/103327 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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