Human-environment interaction during the Holocene in Eastern South America: Rapid climate changes and population dynamics

Author(s)

Araujo, Astolfo G. M. ; Correa, Leticia Cristina ; Perez, Glauco Constantino ; Di Gregorio, Enrico Dalmas ; Okumura, Mercedes

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PLoS One; v. 20, n. 2, p. 63-pg., 2025-02-03.

Abstract

About 15 years ago, we suggested that the low frequency of archaeological sites dating from the mid-Holocene in several regions of Lowland South America (which was then called the "Archaic Gap") was due to an increase in the magnitude of dry periods related to the mid-Holocene hypsithermal. Since then, data regarding paleoenvironmental reconstructions for this vast area, coupled with an increase in the archaeological knowledge, allow us to reassess the idea of the "Archaic Gap" and redefine both the spatial extent of the phenomenon and its possible causes. Our present analysis aims to present a broader picture of the relations between humans and the environment in Eastern South America since the Late Pleistocene. The obtained results suggest that the extent of the areas that were somewhat depopulated during the mid-Holocene is larger than previously thought; not only Central Brazil, but parts of the Amazon and the Pantanal (close to the Bolivian border) seem to show the same pattern. However, as expected when larger datasets are available, it is possible to perceive oscillations in the archaeological signal that suggest reoccupation of some areas. Although we maintain that the main reasons underlying these patterns are related to climate, they are most probably related to an increase in climatic variability, and not necessarily to an increase in dryness. These observations are of interest to the current debate about the effects of the global warming on human populations. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/23282-5 - Change and continuity in prehistoric human groups from Ribeira de Iguape Valley (São Paulo and Paraná): applying evolutionary theory to bioarchaeology and material culture
• Grantee: Maria Mercedes Martinez Okumura
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/20340-1 - The variability of the lithic industries in the state of São Paulo: a regional synthesis
• Grantee: Letícia Cristina Correa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 10/06453-9 - Statistical methods applied to the characterization of Palaeoindian lithic industries from Southern Brazil
• Grantee: Maria Mercedes Martinez Okumura
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 21/04562-0 - The establishment of cultural transmission networks among the Tupiguarani groups in the State of São Paulo
• Grantee: Glauco Constantino Perez
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral