A glimpse into shell mound builders' diet during mid-to-late Holocene on Marajo island

Author(s)

Hilbert, Lautaro ; Alves, Daiana Travassos ; Neves, Eduardo Goes ; Iriarte, Jose

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: VEGETATION HISTORY AND ARCHAEOBOTANY; v. N/A, p. 10-pg., 2023-06-12.

Abstract

Shell mounds are anthropic intentional constructions produced by pre-Columbian fishing/gathering communities. They are generally composed of a primary layer of mollusc carapaces, fish bones and, in some cases, human burials. Our case study is the Tucuma shell mound located on western Marajo island. The site has two occupation components comprising the sequential formation of anthrosols: the shell mound layers buried under an Amazonian Dark Earth soil. We carried out phytolith analysis on a total of 37 samples to address the plant component of the Tucuma shell mound builders' subsistence strategies. Our results reveal the impact on the vegetation composition and plant dietary preferences throughout the occupation. Exceptionally, our research revealed the presence of domesticates such as maize (Zea mays) and squash (Cucurbita sp.) at ca. 4,000 year bp presenting the earliest evidence of these plants in the Marajo archipelago. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 20/02485-5 - Microbotanical analyzes in mound sites of the Bolivian Amazon
• Grantee: Lautaro Maximilian Hilbert
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 19/07794-9 - Human-environment relationships in Pre-Columbian Amazonia
• Grantee: Eduardo Góes Neves
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants