The geoglyph sites of Acre, Brazil: 10 000-year-old land-use practices and climate change in Amazonia

Autor: Martti Pärssinen, William Balée, Alceu Ranzi, Antonia Damasceno Barbosa
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Antiquity. 94:1538-1556
ISSN: 1745-1744
0003-598X
Popis: Hypotheses concerning climatic change during the Amazonian Holocene often assume that the presence of ancient charcoal from forest fires indicates periods of drier climate in the past. These theories, however, neglect the possibility that such charcoal may result from early human activity. This article presents new evidence of anthropogenic ash and charcoal accumulation in the state of Acre, Brazil, dating back to c. 10 000 cal BP, which questions the value of charcoal as a proxy for phases of natural climate aridification. Carbon isotope (δ13C) values also suggest no significant changes in Holocene climate or vegetation. If these results are confirmed, previous studies on Amazonian Holocene climate will require re-evaluation.
Databáze: OpenAIRE