Starch grain analysis of ceramic residue from forest islands associated with raised fields in west central Mojos, Bolivia. (February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Young, Danielle N.; Duncan, Neil A.; Walker, John H.
• Is Part Of: Journal of archaeological science. Volume 47(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-02
• Subjects: Paleoethnobotany -- Starch -- Raised fields -- Anthropogenic forests -- Nature/culture -- Amazon -- Bolivia -- Llanos de Mojos; Archaeology -- Periodicals; Archaeology -- Research -- Periodicals; 930.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103761
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-409X

Abstract

Highlights: Starch grain residues from ceramics from forest islands in the Llanos de Mojos, Bolivia. Study shows richness of potential plant resources in pre-Columbian southwest Amazon. Plant foods from inhabited forest islands associated with raised fields were diverse. Archaeological Arracacia xanthorrhiza starch in southwest Amazon supports ethnohistoric record. Abstract: This study analyzed starch grain residues from 65 ceramic artifacts recovered from excavations of inhabited forest islands situated near raised fields in the Llanos de Mojos region of the southwestern Amazon Basin. The assemblage of starch grains from the forest island contexts represents a diverse array of plant resources including maize and manioc, but also other plants such as achira, arrowroot, and the first archaeological evidence for arracacha in the southwest Amazon. The artifacts sampled and plants identified in this study represent resource use by people living on forest islands who constructed and maintained adjacent raised fields for cultivation. The study highlights the importance of research into the diversity of local and regional foodways in the Llanos de Mojos.