Bolivian treasure island reveals human habitation starting 10,400 years ago
Bolivian treasure island reveals human habitation starting 10,400 years ago
Article created on Thursday, August 29, 2013
The enigmatic ‘forest islands’ set amidst the grasslands of Bolivian Amazonia have yielded the earliest evidence of human habitation in the region.
Previously thought to be relict landforms cut away by shifting rivers, or long-term bird rookeries or termite mounds, these piles of freshwater snails, animal bones and charcoal are now known to have been built up over millennia, starting from at least 10,400 years ago, by hunter-gatherers.
Excavation of large mound
Using novel approaches drawn from archaeology, geomorphology and geochemistry, an international team of researchers, led by Dr Umberto Lombardo of the University of Bern, has conducted detailed excavations of a large mound known locally as Isla del Tesoro (Treasure Island).
Associate Professor Katherine Szabó from the University of Wollongong’s Centre for Archaeological Science and Dr Jan-Hendrik May from UOW’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences were among the international team members.
Remains of ancient human meals
Distinctive chemical signatures of human presence were recorded at high levels throughout the mound sediments, and studies of the animal bones and shells indicate they are the remains of ancient human meals. Team members said that Isla del Tesoro tells us that from over 10,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers were moving across the grasslands hunting a variety of mammals, catching fish and birds, and gathering large quantities of freshwater snails.
More:
http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/08/2013/bolivian-treasure-island-reveals-human-habitation-starting-10400-years-ago
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10,000-year-old remains of settlements are unearthed in Bolivia - making it the oldest archaeological site in the Amazon
Swiss researchers from the University of Bern said mounds of seashells were left by settlers in the early Holocene period, around 10,400 years ago
Experts once thought the previously unexplored area had been rarely occupied by communities due to poor environmental conditions
By Sarah Griffiths
PUBLISHED: 16:01 EST, 28 August 2013 | UPDATED: 16:01 EST, 28 August 2013
Ten thousand-year-old remains of human settlements have been found in Bolivia and is now the oldest archaeological site in the Amazon region.
The find came as a surprise to experts as it was thought the previously unexplored area had been rarely occupied by communities due to poor environmental conditions.
Swiss archaeologists made the discovery after analysing forest islands - small forested mounds of earth - which are found throughout Amazonia.
Just by looking as these mounds scientists are able to show the history of the region and ancient human activity.
In this study, the authors, from the University of Bern, found three of these islands were shell middens or mounds of seashells that were left by settlers in the early Holocene period, around 10,400 years ago.
More:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2404383/10-000-year-old-remains-settlements-unearthed-Bolivia--making-oldest-archaeological-site-Amazon.html#ixzz2dOKZn4Yx
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