Amazonian Dark Earths in the context of pre-Columbian settlements

Abstract

Important information about pre-Columbian Amazonian settlement and economy provide Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE), black or brown soils characterized by the presence of charcoal in high concentrations, with highly elevated nutrients and organic matter and higher pH level. Usually ADE are related to large concentrations of ceramics, stone artifacts and animal remains. The main factor for the initiation of ADE formation was the long-lasted, fully sedentary pre-Columbian settlement. Its size and a form can be correlated with traces of historical human habitation. Thus, these sites can reflect the social organization of a specific group. Therefore, ADE studies can bring much valuable information concerning pre-Columbian settlement in Amazonia.

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“…The development of domesticated tree varieties paralleled the transformation of wild wheat varieties into domesticated ones (Heckenberger and Neves, 2009). Native agriculturalists also created the so‐called fertile Amazonian (anthropogenic) Dark Earths (Golińska, 2014; Heckenberger et al., 2008) that allowed “garden city” agriculture to flourish (Heckenberger et al., 2008). The lead author of another recent Amazonian study thus declared: “This is Amazonia, this is one of these places that a few years ago we thought to be like a virgin forest, an untouched environment.…”