Marajoara culture
Encyclopedia
The Marajoara or Marajó culture was a pre-Columbian era
society that flourished on Marajó island
at the mouth of the Amazon River
. In a survey, Mann
suggests dates between 800 AD and 1400 AD for the culture, while other research posits activity two centuries earlier and persistence two centuries later, into the colonial era.
Sophisticated pottery
—large and elaborately painted and incised with representations of plants and animals—is the most impressive finding in the area and provided the first evidence of complex society on Marajó. Evidence of mound building further suggests well-populated and sophisticated settlements emerged on the island. However, the extent, level of complexity, and resource interactions of the Marajoara culture are disputed. Meggers
suggests that the society migrated from the Andes and settled on the island.
Pre-Columbian era
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
society that flourished on Marajó island
Marajó
Marajó is an island located at the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil. It is part of the state of Pará.- Geography :With a land area of 40,100 km² , which compares to the size of Switzerland, it is the largest island to be completely surrounded by freshwater in the world...
at the mouth of the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
. In a survey, Mann
Charles C. Mann
Charles C. Mann is an American journalist and author, specializing in scientific topics.He is the coauthor of four books, and contributing editor for Science and Atlantic Monthly. In 2005 he wrote 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, followed in 2011 by 1493: Uncovering the New...
suggests dates between 800 AD and 1400 AD for the culture, while other research posits activity two centuries earlier and persistence two centuries later, into the colonial era.
Sophisticated pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
—large and elaborately painted and incised with representations of plants and animals—is the most impressive finding in the area and provided the first evidence of complex society on Marajó. Evidence of mound building further suggests well-populated and sophisticated settlements emerged on the island. However, the extent, level of complexity, and resource interactions of the Marajoara culture are disputed. Meggers
Betty Meggers
Betty Jane Meggers is an American archaeologist best known for her work conducted in association with her husband, Cliff Evans, in South America. Meggers was born on December 5, 1921, in Washington D.C. to William and Edith Meggers. Meggers's father was a physicist as well as an archaeology...
suggests that the society migrated from the Andes and settled on the island.