Formative Period Occupations in the Highlands of Northern Ecuador: A Comment on Myers

1978 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 493-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Stephen Athens
Keyword(s):  
Formative Period ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Early Formative ◽  
Northern Highlands

The proposal by Myers, Reidhead, and Brouillard of Valdivia-Machalilla-related occupations in the northern highlands of Ecuador is challenged. Stratigraphy and radiocarbon dates from the La Chimba site do not support the concept of an Early Formative Espejo phase. Additional evidence from the Im 11 site reinforces this conclusion. In sum, the prehistoric chronology of the northern highlands appears to be quite distinct from that of the Ecuadorian coast.

Radiocarbon Evidence for Initial Early Formative Period Occupation in Coastal Oaxaca, Mexico

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 437-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy David Hepp
Keyword(s):  
Formative Period ◽  
Human Bone ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Middle Formative ◽  
Early Formative

Seven AMS radiocarbon dates (1950–1525 cal BC) from controlled contexts demonstrate Early Formative period occupation in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico. These dated elements from the site of La Consentida include hearths, occupational surfaces, carbon adhering to pottery from a midden, and human bone collagen processed with XAD purification. They were excavated from primary contexts and do not represent redeposited materials. An eighth sample, dated to the Middle Formative period, is considered postoccupational. The diversity of dated deposits and features, their distribution, and their overlapping calibrated ranges indicate settlement by an initial Early Formative period village.

Insights into the Earliest Formative Period of Coastal Ecuador: New Evidence and Radiocarbon Dates from the Real Alto Site

Radiocarbon ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey V Tabarev ◽  
Yoshitaka Kanomata ◽  
Jorge G Marcos ◽  
Alexander N Popov ◽  
Boris V Lazin
Keyword(s):  
Las Vegas ◽  
Formative Period ◽  
South American ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
American Archaeology ◽  
The Real ◽  
Local Origin ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
South American Archaeology ◽  
Early Formative

AbstractOne of the most intriguing questions of South American archaeology is the time, place, and origin of the earliest pottery. Since the late 1950s, the earliest pottery has been attributed to the materials of the Early Formative Valdivia culture (5600–3500 BP), coastal Ecuador. Excavations at the Real Alto site conducted in the 1970s and 1980s allowed the rejection of the spectacular “Jomon–Valdivia” hypothesis and established a local origin of the phenomenon. Recent radiocarbon dates from a joint Russian–Japanese–Ecuadorian project at Real Alto open a new page in our knowledge of the transition from pre-ceramic Las Vegas to ceramic Valdivia cultures.

The Tronadora Complex: Early Formative Ceramics in Northwestern Costa Rica

1994 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Hoopes
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Central America ◽  
Formative Period ◽  
Central American ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Southern Central ◽  
Tephra Stratigraphy ◽  
Middle Formative ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Early Formative

The correlation of archaeological features with tephra stratigraphy and radiocarbon dates in the volcanic cordillera of northwestern Costa Rica has provided evidence for an Early to Middle Formative ceramic complex dating to at least 2000 B.C. Tronadora ceramics have been found in association with evidence for early horticulture and sedentism. Stylistic comparisons with other early pottery from Central America have helped with the refinement of our chronology for the earliest sedentary societies in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Differences between Tronadora pottery and the earliest complexes of Mesoamerica and southern Central America indicate a high degree of regionalization in ceramic styles during the Early Formative period. Similarities also indicate, however, the common participation of northwestern Costa Rica and southern Mesoamerica in broad interaction networks at this time. Tronadora pottery does not represent an incipient technology or the result of a diffusion of ceramic production from Mesoamerica or northwestern South America. Instead, it implies the existence of an earlier and still-undefined period of technological experimentation in the Central American isthmus.

Redefinition of the Swasey Phase at Cuello, Belize

1990 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 570-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Wyllys Andrews ◽  
Norman Hammond
Keyword(s):  
Formative Period ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Farming Communities ◽  
Maya Area ◽  
Middle Formative ◽  
Early Formative ◽  
Cultural Developments

Calibrated radiocarbon dates of 19 samples excavated since 1976 at the site of Cuello, in northern Belize, place the Swasey phase (11 dates) and Bladen phase (8 dates) in the Middle Formative period, rather than in the Early Formative, as 10 dates on charcoal excavated in 1975 and 1976 indicated. The post-1976 dates for both phases fall between about 1100 and 400 B.C., and the two sets do not appear to differ significantly. All except 3 of the 35 archaeologically acceptable dates from the later Lopez Mamom and Cocos Chicanel contexts fall within the conventionally accepted ranges for those phases. A mixture of old charcoal from the environment or from an unidentified pre-Swasey occupation with the 1975–1976 samples may explain their early radiocarbon ages, although why such mixing should have affected only the 1975–1976 samples is not known. This reassessment of the early Cuello sequence aligns it with comparable cultural developments elsewhere in the Maya area and suggests that the earliest farming communities of northern Belize perhaps derived from the highlands of Guatemala.

scholarly journals Reconsidering the Age and Typological Character of “Pox Pottery” from Guerrero, Mexico

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Douglas J. Kennett ◽  
Barbara Voorhies ◽  
Josue Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Formative Period ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
Isthmus Of Tehuantepec ◽  
Per Se ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Formative Ceramics ◽  
Early Formative

We revisit the age and typological character of “Pox Pottery” that was reported in the 1960s by Charles Brush who considered it to be uniquely early (~2440 BC). Investigating the same two sites in coastal Guerrero where Brush excavated, we recovered Early Formative ceramics, some with the “pox” attribute. Here, we report potsherd frequencies for these deposits at both sites according to regional ceramic typologies, as well as AMS 14C dates used to establish a Bayesian stratigraphic chronology for each site to better constrain the age of these Early Formative period deposits. We argue that “Pox Pottery” is not a ceramic type per se and that the “pox” attribute occurs in multiple Early Formative period ceramic types. The earliest pottery is similar to other Red-on-Buff ceramic traditions from the Central Mexican Highlands and west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Our chronological work demonstrates that these ceramics date between 1820 and 1400 cal BC, consistent with other recent studies indicating an early age of Red-on-Buff ceramics and suggesting shared cultural traditions distinct from the contemporary Locona interaction sphere that emerged in parallel.

Different Shades of Early Shamanism in the Upper Amazon

2020 ◽  
pp. 111-144
Keyword(s):  
Formative Period ◽  
Amazon Region ◽  
The Body ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Santa Ana ◽  
La Florida ◽  
East West ◽  
Important Site ◽  
Early Formative

Recent archaeological research in the upper Amazon region, on the frontier between Ecuador and Peru, has discovered a new pre-Columbian culture, now known as the Mayo Chinchipe-Marañón society. The most important site that has been studied until now is Santa Ana–La Florida (SALF), located in Palanda (Zamora Chinchipe province, Ecuador), where an Early Formative period ceremonial center has been studied for over a decade. This site has been occupied for over 5000 years. The ceremonial center has an architectural layout centered around a sunken plaza, with two platforms placed at each end on an east-west axis. The eastern platform served as the base of a round structure that contained evidence of ritual activities. Several tombs have been located in the body of the platform. One, however, stands out for its extraordinary paraphernalia, which suggests the presence of a very relevant individual: a shaman.

Formative Period Occupations in the Highlands of Northern Ecuador: Rejoinder to Athens

1978 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-500
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Myers
Keyword(s):  
Formative Period ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Unpublished Manuscript ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Stratigraphic Position ◽  
Painted Pottery

Athens’ attack is based upon the fact that I did not cite an unpublished manuscript in my possession. In fact, the paper has little bearing upon the temporal argument. The radiocarbon dates which it contains should not be applied to the material in question. However, the paper does contain information which supports my hypothesis of contacts between the Coast and the Highlands. Such contacts help to account for the ceramic similarities between the two regions. New dates from the La Chimba site are internally inconsistent so that they cannot be used to support either point of view. However, the stratigraphic position of Espejo Phase ceramics beneath resist painted pottery is consistent with a Formative Period dating for the Espejo Phase.

A SAN LORENZO PHASE HOUSEHOLD ASSEMBLAGE FROM EL REMOLINO, VERACRUZ

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl J. Wendt
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Formative Period ◽  
Future Research ◽  
San Lorenzo ◽  
Preliminary Attempt ◽  
Gulf Coast Region ◽  
Coast Region ◽  
Early Formative

AbstractWhile scholars actively search for material and symbolic indications of Olmec influence outside the Gulf Coast, few have taken a close look at the variation and intricacies of Early Formative period material culture within the Gulf Coast region. The increasing body of data on houses in the Olmec heartland is beginning to allow comparisons and new kinds of analyses not previously possible in Olmec studies. Excavated materials from San Lorenzo phase (1200–900b.c., radiocarbon years; 1400–1000b.c.) households at El Remolino in the San Lorenzo region are analyzed in a preliminary attempt to evaluate the particulars of a San Lorenzo Olmec domestic assemblage in order to provide a baseline for future research. I compare quantities of different artifact classes, vessel forms, vessel orifice diameters, and pottery decoration to arrive at an understanding of a modest Olmec household inventory. Through this analysis, I argue that several of the San Lorenzo horizon markers cited as evidence of Olmec influence or migration elsewhere in Mesoamerica are quite rare in the Olmec heartland itself. Both Calzadas Carved and Limón Carved-Incised pottery decorations1occur only in minute quantities (<1%) in the Remolino (and San Lorenzo) assemblage, and hollow white-ware figurines are entirely absent at this nonelite context. Except for its location 5 km from San Lorenzo, El Remolino would not qualify as an Olmec site based on the lack of artifact markers emphasized by archaeologists working outside of the Gulf Coast. I argue that we need a better idea of the range of Gulf Coast Olmec variation before we delve too far into discussions of Gulf Coast influence.

scholarly journals Monumentality in Western Amazonian formative societies: geometric ditched enclosures in the Brazilian state of Acre

Antiqua ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanna Saunaluoma ◽  
Denise Schaan
Keyword(s):  
Public Spaces ◽  
Formative Period ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Complex Societies ◽  
Cultural Interaction ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Brazilian State ◽  
Amazonian Region ◽  
Southwestern Amazonia

In Amazonia, monumentality has traditionally been considered characteristic of the late pre-colonial densely populated complex societies. Recent archaeological fieldwork concerning the geometric earthworks in the Brazilian state of Acre has shown that the southwestern Amazonian interfluvial zone was a significant setting for long-term large landscape modifications. We describe the geometric ditched enclosure sites of Acre as early monumental public spaces reserved for ceremonial purposes, analogous to the central Andean ceremonial-civic centers of the Formative period. The geometric earthwork sites contain contiguous ditches and embankment structures of varying forms enclosing areas typically 3-10 hectares in size. Documented cultural features are sparse within the enclosed areas. Making use of satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and pedestrian surveys, 360 earthwork enclosures have been recorded in southwestern Amazonia. Our radiocarbon dates suggest that construction and use of geometric earthworks began at the latest around 1000 BC, and prevailed in the region until 1400 AD. The relatively small number of ceramics recovered from the geometric ditched enclosure sites appear to be local substyles of the same tradition, sharing certain attributes with contemporary ceramic traditions of the upper Amazonian region. This, and consistency in ceremonial earthwork architecture, indicate close cultural interaction between communities that built and used the earthwork sites, and imply probable relationships also with the central Andean area.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document