Sacred Geographies of Ancient Amazonia: Historical Ecology of Social Complexity

by Schaan,Denise P

• ISBN13: 9781598745054
• ISBN10: 1598745050
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-11-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The legendary El Dorado--the city of gold--remains a mere legend, but astonishing new discoveries are revealing a major civilization in ancient Amazonia that was more complex than anyone previously dreamed. Scholars have long insisted that the Amazonian ecosystem placed severe limits on the size and complexity of ancient its cultures, but leading researcher Denise Shaan reverses that view, synthesizing exciting new evidence of large-scale land and resource management to tell a new history of indigenous Amazonia. Schaan also engages fundamental debates about the development of social complexity and the importance of ancient Amazonia from a global perspective. This innovative, interdisciplinary book is a major contribution to the study of human-environment relations, social complexity, and past and present indigenous societies.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Table	p. 7
Introduction: Historical Ecology and Archaeological Landscapes in Amazonia	p. 9
Moving Earth, Managing Water	p. 29
Land of the Ancestors	p. 79
Ponds, Lakes, and Feasts: The Cultural Geography of Anthropogenic Soils	p. 105
Marks on the Earth: Territoriality and Memory	p. 141
Conclusion	p. 177
References	p. 195
Index	p. 221
About the Author	p. 233
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