Geophysical surveys at Formoso underwater archaeological stilt village in the eastern Amazon region, Brazil

Author(s)

Neto, Antonio Carlos de Siqueira ; Porsani, Jorge Luis ; Rangel, Rodrigo Correa ; de Souza, Luiz Antonio Pereira ; Navarro, Alexandre Guida ; de Lima, Leonardo Gonsalves ; Stangari, Marcelo Cesar

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS; v. 60, p. 10-pg., 2024-10-25.

Abstract

Archaeological evidence of pre-colonial indigenous villages are scarce in the Amazon region. Normally, wood decomposes quickly in the ground. However, in the case of stilt houses, the archaeological materials can be well preserved underwater or buried in sediments below waterbodies. The main objective of this work is to advance the understanding about the archaeological stilt village at the Formoso Lake in the Maranhao wetland, eastern Brazilian Amazon. We applied Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Side Scan Sonar (SSS) for this underwater archaeological investigation. The GPR results allowed us to map the lakebed and detect diffraction hyperbolas in the water column, which can be related to wood stilts. The SSS results also helped image the lakebed and identify stilts with a higher spatial coverage compared to GPR. The combination of these two non-invasive geophysical methods allowed us to detect stilts beyond the area found in previous studies. These findings can guide the search and collection of new archaeological materials and, therefore, contribute to preserving this unique cultural heritage. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 22/12482-9 - Geophysical investigations of the underwater archaeological site Cabeludo at the Baixada Maranhense combining Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Side Scan Sonar (SSS)
• Grantee: Rodrigo Corrêa Rangel
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 23/16834-0 - The water people, phase II: GPR and SSS detailed image of wood stilts and ceramic materials in underwater archaeological sites in Maranhão, Eastern Amazon
• Grantee: Jorge Luís Porsani
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 20/15560-5 - The water people: GPR-Ground Penetrating Radar image of wood stilts and ceramic materials in archaeological sites in Maranhão
• Grantee: Jorge Luís Porsani
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants