James B. Petersen

VILLAGE SIZE AND PERMANENCE IN AMAZONIA: TWO ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXAMPLES FROM BRAZIL

Recent archaeological investigations along the lower Negro and upper Xingu Rivers in the Brazilian Amazon provide important new evidence bearing on long-standing debates about the size and permanence of Amerindian settlements in the region. Preliminary regional surveys and more in-depth study of selected large (30-50 ha) sites, particularly analyses of the associations between structural features, anthropogenically altered soils, and artifact distributions, lead us to conclude that large, permanent settlements, likely associated with fairly dense regional populations, existed prehistorically in both areas. These findings cast doubt on the view that environmental limitations prevented sedentism and demographic growth among Amerindian populations throughout much or all of the region. Specifically, we conclude that fully sedentary and relatively large populations emerged in a variety of Amazonian settings prehistorically, not necessarily correlated with the distribution of one or another narrowly defined ecological variable (e. g., high fertility soils). Thus, a critical evaluation of core concepts in Amazonian anthropology, such as the varzea/terra firme dichotomy or tropical forest culture, is advised.

The Timing of Terra Preta Formation in the Central Amazon: Archaeological Data from Three Sites

We present here chronological data on the timing and rate of terra preta formation at three archaeological sites located near the confluence of the Negro and Solimoes Rivers, in the central Amazon of Brazil. We have been studying pre-Columbian indigenous archaeology in this area since 1995 within the framework of the Central Amazon Project (CAP) (e.g., Heckenberger et al. 1999; Neves 2000; Petersen et al. 2001). This research has identified more than 40 archaeological sites thus far, of which four (Acutuba, Osvaldo, Lago Grande, and Hatahara) have been tested and mapped in some detail (Fig. 9.1).

De onde surgem os modelos? As origens e expansões Tupi na Amazônia Central

Este artigo apresenta subsidios arqueologicos para o debate - revisitado por Franciso Noelli, Eduardo Viveiros de Castro e Greg Urban nas paginas da Revista de Antropologia - sobre a suposta origem das linguas do tronco Tupi na Amazonia central. Apresentamos aqui os resultados preliminares de nossas pesquisas arqueologicas na area de confluencia dos rios Negro e Solimoes que levantam restricoes as premissas arqueologicas desse modelo, primeiramente apresentadas por Donald Lathrap em 1970.