LOST CITIES OF THE ARAWAKS - BERBICE, GUYANA

Archaeology and Anthropology, 2017

Here we report on a ceramic assemblage excavated from the middle Berbice region of Guyana, and dated to the mid-Holocene. The results of a techno-functional ceramic attribute analysis, along with the contexts from which they were recovered are discussed in order to shed new light on the timing and location of early agricultural mound builders and ceramic innovations for this period of pre-colonial history in the Guianas. Furthermore, we argue that innovations in ceramic design originating in the middle Berbice account for a style of pottery known for it's coil applique , or fretwork design motifs, which has been identified at other sites in the region.

Amazonian archaeology has made major advances in recent decades, particularly in understanding coupled human environmental systems. Like other tropical forest regions, prehistoric social formations were long portrayed as small-scale, dispersed communities that differed little in organization from recent indigenous societies and had negligible impacts on the essentially pristine forest. Archaeology documents substantial variation that, while showing similarities to other world regions , presents novel pathways of early foraging and domestication, semi-intensive resource management, and domesticated landscapes associated with diverse small-and medium-sized complex societies. Late prehistoric regional polities were articulated in broad regional political economies, which collapsed in the aftermath of European contact. Field methods have also changed dramatically through in-depth local and regional studies, interdisciplinary approaches, and multicul-tural collaborations, notably with indigenous peoples. Contemporary research highlights questions of scale, perspective, and agency, including concerns for representation, public archaeology, indigenous cultural heritage, and conservation of the region's remarkable cultural and ecological resources. 251

Diversity, 2009

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2007

C. Smith (ed.), Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, 2018

The archaeological agenda(s) in the Guianas are determined by historical, geo-political and economic dynamics within each of the each of the five Guianas and the processes of Nation Building. The archaeological services in the respective countries and departments are in different stages of development, and their histories, current developments, and future directions are briefly discussed in this article, as are current issues and debates.