Landscape Evolution and Human Agency: Archaeological Case Studies From Drylands in Western South América and Australia

Zaro, Gregory; Builth, Heather; Rivera, Claudia; Roldán, Jimena; Suvires, Graciela Mabel

doi:10.4067/s0717-73562008000300004

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…These numbers have been previously interpreted as an intensification of human activities and population size (Williams et al, 2008). The paleoenvironmental implications for understanding the dynamic relation between human societies and environment (Zaro et al, 2008) are promising, and clearly demonstrated by our data. In particular, changes in the cultural history of the people that inhabited the PdT and the Atacama Desert in general can be better understood by combining different kinds of archives.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 48%

Hydroclimate variability in the low-elevation Atacama Desert over the last 2500 yr

et al. 2012

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Abstract. Paleoclimate reconstructions reveal that Earth system has experienced sub-millennial scale climate changes over the past two millennia in response to internal/external forcing. Although sub-millennial hydroclimate fluctuations have been detected in the central Andes during this interval, the timing, magnitude, extent and direction of change of these events remain poorly defined. Here, we present a reconstruction of hydroclimate variations on the Pacific slope of the central Andes based on exceptionally wellpreserved plant macrofossils and associated archaeological remains from a hyperarid drainage (Quebrada Maní, ∼21 • S, 1000 m a.s.l.) in the Atacama Desert. During the late Holocene, riparian ecosystems and farming social groups flourished in the hyperarid Atacama core as surface water availability increased throughout this presently sterile landscape. Twenty-six radiocarbon dates indicate that these events occurred between 1050-680, 1615-1350 and 2500-2040 cal yr BP. Regional comparisons with rodent middens and other records suggest that these events were synchronous with pluvial stages detected at higher-elevations in the central Andes over the last 2500 yr. These hydroclimate changes also coincide with periods of pronounced SST gradients in the Tropical Pacific (La Niña-like mode), conditions that are conducive to significantly increased rainfall in the central Andean highlands and flood events in the low-elevation watersheds at inter-annual timescales. Our findings indicate that the positive anomalies in the hyperarid Atacama over the past 2500 yr represent a regional response of the central Andean climate system to changes in the global hydrological cycle at centennial timescales. Furthermore, our results provide support for the role of tropical Pacific sea surface temperature gradient changes as the primary mechanism responsible for climate fluctuations in the central Andes. Finally, our results constitute independent evidence for comprehending the major trends in cultural evolution of prehistoric peoples that inhabited the region.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 48%

Hydroclimate variability in the low-elevation Atacama Desert over the last 2500 yr

et al. 2012

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“…An important kind of anthropogenic soil degradation common in the history of agriculture is accelerated soil erosion (Bell & Boardman, 1992; Dotterweich, 2013; Sandor, 2006). Examples of both soil degradation by erosion and soil conservation in ancient abandoned agricultural terraces have been reported elsewhere in the Andes (Branch et al, 2007; Field, 1966; Goodman‐Elgar, 2008; Inbar & Llerena, 2000; Keeley, 1985; Londoño et al, 2017; Sampietro‐Vattuone et al, 2019, 2011; Sandor & Eash, 1995; Zaro and Umire Alvarez, 2005; Zaro et al, 2008). Have the soils of the study area been seriously eroded, and if so, to what degree?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Soils in ancient irrigated agricultural terraces in the Atacama Desert, Chile

et al. 2021

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The Atacama Desert is among the driest places on Earth, yet ancient agricultural systems are present in the region. Here, we present a study of terraced agricultural soils in the high‐altitude eastern margin of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, mainly dating to the Late Intermediate Period (ca. 950–1400 AD) and Inka period (ca. 1400–1536 AD). Terraced fields were compartmentalized to distribute limited irrigation water originating mainly from springs. Natural soils used for agriculture are mostly Aridisols developed on Pleistocene alluvial fan terraces and hillslopes underlain by volcanic bedrock. One research objective is to evaluate long‐term soil change from agriculture. In this hyperarid climate, agriculture is only possible with irrigation, so natural soils on the same geomorphic surface adjacent to irrigated soils provide baseline data for assessing anthropogenic soil change. Data from soil profiles and surface transects indicate intentional soil change through terracing, removal of soil rock fragments, and probable fertilization. Agricultural soils have anthropogenic horizons ranging from 16 to 54 cm thick. Most agricultural soils have higher phosphorus levels, suggesting enrichment from fertilization. Changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen are also evident. Unintentional anthropogenic soil change resulted from CaCO3 input through irrigation with calcareous spring water. Initial studies suggest that agriculture here was sustainable in the sense of conserving soils, and maintaining and possibly improving soil productivity over centuries.

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“…Other deleterious impacts recognized in ancient agricultural fields are compaction and soil structural degradation that restricts root growth and reduces water and nutrients available to plants. Accelerated erosion (including that following abandonment of ancient agricultural terraces) and other physical soil degradation, such as soil compaction, have been reported in several studies in Mexico (Borejsza et al 2008;McAuliffe et al 2001;McClung de Tapia 2012;Sánchez-Pérez et al 2013), Peru (Goodman-Elgar 2008Inbar and Llerena 2000;Zaro et al 2008), and the American Southwest (Kruse-Peeples et al 2009).…”

Section: Unintended Soil-geomorphic Ecological and Soil Physical Chmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Berlin et al 1977;Borejsza et al 2008;Dart 1986;Davis et al 2000;Edwards 2002;Goodman-Elgar 2008;Sampietro Vattuone et al 2011;Sánchez-Pérez et al 2013;Sandor and Eash 1995;Sandor and Homburg 2015;Sandor et al 1986. See the following for more examples: Arrhenius 1963;Berlin et al 1990;Inbar and Llerena 2000;Keeley 1985Keeley , 1988Kruse-Peeples et al 2009;McAuliffe et al 2001;McClung de Tapia 2012;Sampietro Vattuone et al 2014;Sandor and Eash 1991;Sandor and Gersper 1988;Sandor et al 1990;Sullivan 2000;Zaro et al 2008.…”

Section: Unintended Soil-geomorphic Ecological and Soil Physical Chmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropogenic Soil Change in Ancient and Traditional Agricultural Fields in Arid to Semiarid Regions of the Americas

Sandor¹,

Homburg²

2017

Journal of Ethnobiology

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Soils form the foundation for agriculture and are changed by farming through active management and unintentionally. Soil change from agriculture ranges from wholesale transformation to ephemeral and subtle modification. The archaeological record of early agricultural systems holds information about soil change on centurial to millennial scales, with important implications for long-term soil condition and land use sustainability. Knowledge of early agricultural management can also be inferred from soils, including farming strategies in dynamic, challenging environments. This paper discusses soil change processes and outcomes mainly using studies of ancient and traditional agriculture in arid regions of the Americas. The potential and limitations of soil change research methods in ancient agriculture are also considered. Soil anthropogenic change involves complex and interactive physical, chemical, and biological processes across a wide range of spatial and time scales. Soil change outcomes in early agriculture relating to soil health and productivity vary from improvement to degradation. Soil productivity improvement commonly resulting from management includes soil-landscape physical stabilization for crops, increased topsoil thickness and plant-available water capacity, and improved soil tilth and fertility. Degradation commonly results from unintentional soil-geomorphic-ecosystem changes that cause accelerated erosion, destabilization of soil structure and compaction, and decreases in plant nutrients and soil fertility. Soil change outcomes vary across space and time in response to complex environmental, agricultural, and social factors.

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Landscape Evolution and Human Agency: Archaeological Case Studies From Drylands in Western South América and Australia

Cited by 6 publications

References 24 publications

Hydroclimate variability in the low-elevation Atacama Desert over the last 2500 yr

Hydroclimate variability in the low-elevation Atacama Desert over the last 2500 yr

Soils in ancient irrigated agricultural terraces in the Atacama Desert, Chile

Anthropogenic Soil Change in Ancient and Traditional Agricultural Fields in Arid to Semiarid Regions of the Americas

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