Evidence for mid-Holocene rice domestication in the Americas

The development of agriculture is one of humankind’s most pivotal achievements. Questions about plant domestication and the origins of agriculture have engaged scholars for well over a century, with implications for understanding its legacy on global subsistence strategies, plant distribution, population health and the global methane budget. Rice is one of the most important crops to be domesticated globally, with both Asia (Oryza sativa L.) and Africa (Oryza glaberrima Steud.) discussed as primary centres of domestication. However, until now the pre-Columbian domestication of rice in the Americas has not been documented. Here we document the domestication of Oryza sp. wild rice by the mid-Holocene residents of the Monte Castelo shell mound starting at approximately 4,000 cal. yr BP, evidenced by increasingly larger rice husk phytoliths. Our data provide evidence for the domestication of wild rice in a region of the Amazon that was also probably the cradle of domestication of other major crops such as cassava (Manihot esculenta), peanut (Arachis hypogaea) and chilli pepper (Capsicum sp.). These results underline the role of wetlands as prime habitats for plant domestication worldwide

On the direction of the Amazonian southwest periphery: archaeology in the Jiparaná basin, Rondonia

O trabalho intitulado Na direção das periferias extremas da Amazônia: arqueologia na bacia do rio Jiparaná-RO tem como objetivo debater tópicos específicos da arqueologia no estado de Rondônia, as evidências cerâmicas e a Terra Preta Arqueológica. Isto para podermos ter uma melhor compreensão da ocupação do Sítio Encontro, objeto de estudo desta dissertação. O sítio litocerâmico Encontro (RO-MA-05) localiza-se na direção das áreas periféricas do sudoeste amazônico. Situado no município de Ministro Andreazza, está inserido na serrania da Providência, adjacente a planície de inundação do rio Jiparaná, Rondônia. Trata-se de um assentamento pequeno, considerando os padrões amazônicos que até o momento atesta a mais antiga manifestação de terra preta arqueológica associada a vestígios cerâmicos na Amazônia. Buscando trazer dados antes pouco debatidos (principalmente a produção do arqueólogo Eurico Miller) é que propomos a retomada dos estudos na região, com auxilio de informações e dados somente agora disponíveis e que podem remeter a área do sudoeste amazônico como importante ponto de averiguação de questões que abarcam as primeiras expansões dos grupos Tupi e as origens da agriculturaThis dissertation, On the direction of the Amazonian southwest periphery: archaeology in the Jiparaná basin, Rondonia, has as aim objective discuss some aspects found in the archeology of Rondonia State: pottery production and the Archaeological dark earth. Made this, we can have a better comprehension of the occupation of the Encontro archaeological site, object of study in our research. The Encontro site has evidence of litic and pottery sherds, and is located in the direction of the Amazonian southwest periphery, in Ministro Andreazza city, Rondonia State. Comparing to other samples of Amazonian archeological sites, this is a small place, but has the oldest evidence of archeological dark earth associated with ceramic known until now in Amazon. In pursuit of take again in the discussion the data available for the area(until now not too much discussed, mainly the papers of the archeologist Eurico Miller) is that we propose bring back the study of this region, aided by data just now available that refer the Amazonian southwest as an important point of discussion on questions that involve the firsts Tupi expansions and the origins of agricultur

The Bacabal phase and its archaeological correlates in Amazon.

Neste trabalho tratamos sobre a fase cerâmica Bacabal, que foi criada por Eurico Miller no começo dos anos 90 para classificar os vestígios cerâmicos encontrados nas áreas inundáveis do médio rio Guaporé, estado de Rondônia. A cronologia de sua ocorrência recua até o Holoceno médio, desde ca. 2000 a.C. até 800 d.C. Buscamos nesta tese descrever os vestígios cerâmicos desta fase e discutir as hipóteses previamente estabelecidas sobre as suas correlações com outras fases encontradas na Amazônia e aforaIn this work we investigate the Bacabal phase, created by Eurico Miller in the early 90\'s to classify ceramics found in the flooded areas of the middle Guaporé river, state of Rondônia, Brazil. The chronology for this archaeological culture reach the middle Holocene, ranging from ca. 2000 a.C. until 800 AD. We aimed to describe the vestiges and discuss hypotheses previously established about their correlations with other stylistic horizons found in the Amazon and beyond. We also propose that there may be a relationship between this pottery and other archaeological cultures found in the Amazonian southwest and surrounding areas

On the direction of the Amazonian southwest periphery: archaeology in the Jiparaná basin, Rondonia

O trabalho intitulado Na direção das periferias extremas da Amazônia: arqueologia na bacia do rio Jiparaná-RO tem como objetivo debater tópicos específicos da arqueologia no estado de Rondônia, as evidências cerâmicas e a Terra Preta Arqueológica. Isto para podermos ter uma melhor compreensão da ocupação do Sítio Encontro, objeto de estudo desta dissertação. O sítio litocerâmico Encontro (RO-MA-05) localiza-se na direção das áreas periféricas do sudoeste amazônico. Situado no município de Ministro Andreazza, está inserido na serrania da Providência, adjacente a planície de inundação do rio Jiparaná, Rondônia. Trata-se de um assentamento pequeno, considerando os padrões amazônicos que até o momento atesta a mais antiga manifestação de terra preta arqueológica associada a vestígios cerâmicos na Amazônia. Buscando trazer dados antes pouco debatidos (principalmente a produção do arqueólogo Eurico Miller) é que propomos a retomada dos estudos na região, com auxilio de informações e dados somente agora disponíveis e que podem remeter a área do sudoeste amazônico como importante ponto de averiguação de questões que abarcam as primeiras expansões dos grupos Tupi e as origens da agriculturaThis dissertation, On the direction of the Amazonian southwest periphery: archaeology in the Jiparaná basin, Rondonia, has as aim objective discuss some aspects found in the archeology of Rondonia State: pottery production and the Archaeological dark earth. Made this, we can have a better comprehension of the occupation of the Encontro archaeological site, object of study in our research. The Encontro site has evidence of litic and pottery sherds, and is located in the direction of the Amazonian southwest periphery, in Ministro Andreazza city, Rondonia State. Comparing to other samples of Amazonian archeological sites, this is a small place, but has the oldest evidence of archeological dark earth associated with ceramic known until now in Amazon. In pursuit of take again in the discussion the data available for the area(until now not too much discussed, mainly the papers of the archeologist Eurico Miller) is that we propose bring back the study of this region, aided by data just now available that refer the Amazonian southwest as an important point of discussion on questions that involve the firsts Tupi expansions and the origins of agricultur

Hierarquia e morte nas terras baixas platinas.

Este artigo justifica-se por uma revisão bibliográfica dos sítio arqueológicos denominados ''ceritos'' ou aterros. O trabalho é composto por algumas abordagens de pesquisadores platinos que discutem a funcionalidade destes aterros. Examinaremos também as posições teóricas dos autores para uma reflexão sobre os sepultamentos encontrados nos monumentos, sua construção e utilização ideológica da morte nas sociedades construtoras de aterros. Discutiremos se as questões ambiental e política influenciaram na criação de uma sociedade e monumentalismo, dentro de um universo em que a passagem segura para o outro mundo era considerado elemento indispensável

Facing change through diversity : Resilience and diversification of plant management strategies during the mid to late holocene transition at the monte castelo shellmound, sw amazonia

Recent advances in the archaeology of lowland South America are furthering our understanding of the Holocene development of plant cultivation and domestication, cultural niche construction, and relationships between environmental changes and cultural strategies of food production. This article offers new data on plant and landscape management and mobility in Southwestern Amazonia during a period of environmental change at the Middle to Late Holocene transition, based on archaeobotanical analysis of the Monte Castelo shellmound, occupied between 6000 and 650 yr BP and located in a modern, seasonally flooded savanna-forest mosaic. Through diachronic comparisons of carbonized plant remains, phytoliths, and starch grains, we construct an ecology of resource use and explore its implications for the long-term history of landscape formation, resource management practices, and mobility. We show how, despite important changes visible in the archaeological record of the shellmound during this period, there persisted an ancient, local, and resilient pattern of plant management which implies a degree of stability in both subsistence and settlement patterns over the last 6000 years. This pattern is characterized by management practices that relied on increasingly diversified, rather than intensive, food production systems. Our findings have important implications in debates regarding the history of settlement permanence, population growth, and carrying capacity in the Amazon basin

Archaeological history of Middle Holocene environmental change from fish proxies at the Monte Castelo archaeological shell mound, Southwestern Amazonia

International audienc

Facing Change through Diversity: Resilience and Diversification of Plant Management Strategies during the Mid to Late Holocene Transition at the Monte Castelo Shellmound, SW Amazonia

Recent advances in the archaeology of lowland South America are furthering our understanding of the Holocene development of plant cultivation and domestication, cultural niche construction, and relationships between environmental changes and cultural strategies of food production. This article offers new data on plant and landscape management and mobility in Southwestern Amazonia during a period of environmental change at the Middle to Late Holocene transition, based on archaeobotanical analysis of the Monte Castelo shellmound, occupied between 6000 and 650 yr BP and located in a modern, seasonally flooded savanna–forest mosaic. Through diachronic comparisons of carbonized plant remains, phytoliths, and starch grains, we construct an ecology of resource use and explore its implications for the long-term history of landscape formation, resource management practices, and mobility. We show how, despite important changes visible in the archaeological record of the shellmound during this period, there persisted an ancient, local, and resilient pattern of plant management which implies a degree of stability in both subsistence and settlement patterns over the last 6000 years. This pattern is characterized by management practices that relied on increasingly diversified, rather than intensive, food production systems. Our findings have important implications in debates regarding the history of settlement permanence, population growth, and carrying capacity in the Amazon basin