A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä

Geography of ancient geometric earthworks and their builders in southwestern Amazonia




TekijätKalliola, Risto; Pärssinen, Martti; Ranzi, Alceu; Seppä, Iiro; Barbosa, Antonia Damasceno

KustantajaINST NACIONAL PESQUISAS AMAZONIA

KustannuspaikkaMANAUS

Julkaisuvuosi2024

JournalActa Amazonica

Tietokannassa oleva lehden nimiACTA AMAZONICA

Lehden akronyymiACTA AMAZON

Artikkelin numero e54hu22351

Vuosikerta54

Numero4

Sivujen määrä21

ISSN0044-5967

eISSN1809-4392

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4392202203511

Verkko-osoitehttps://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4392202203511

Rinnakkaistallenteen osoitehttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/458940065


Tiivistelmä
Geometric earthworks are evidence of ancient human activity in western Brazilian Amazonia. We used a review of existing and new data to map earthworks across 27,569 km2 of deforested areas in southwestern Amazonia using satellite imagery. We developed a conceptual basis for the classification of earthworks based on their structural characteristics using fuzzy sets. We recorded 1,279 structures with a distinctive core density zone. Most of the structures displayed geometric shapes, but they varied in construction accuracy. Geoglyphs accounted for 80% of all objects, with geographically variable shapes and enclosure areas. Other earthwork types included associated embankments, solitary embankments and mound sites. The abundance of earthworks provided evidence of strong pre-European human influence on the study area. A 10-km buffer around each earthwork included 75% of recent deforestation areas and 25.7% of standing forest, suggesting a significant potential for the presence of further earthworks in this ancient anthropogenic landscape and its possible far-reaching ecological legacy. The available radiocarbon data confirm a long-term anthropogenic impact in the study area, with ceremonial geoglyphs indicating activities over a thousand years old and other structures revealing more recent cultural transformations.

Ladattava julkaisu

This is an electronic reprint of the original article.
This reprint may differ from the original in pagination and typographic detail. Please cite the original version.




Julkaisussa olevat rahoitustiedot
We extend our gratitude to our collaborators at our home institutions, James Q. Jacobs, Francisco R Nakahara, and the other discoverers of ancient earthwork sites. We also acknowledge the Academy of Finland for funding research projects 296406 (RK) and 297161 (MP) . In Brazil, the research was authorized by the Instituto do Patrimpnio Historico e Artistico Nacional (IPHAN license #01423000336/2017-11) . Our heartfelt thanks go to our long-term close collaborators Denise Schaan and Heli Paerssinen, and we dedicate this research to their memory.


Last updated on 2025-27-01 at 19:29