The archaeology of Amerindian settlements in the Caribbean has mostly been identified through scatters of artefacts; predominantly conglomerations of shells, ceramics and lithics. While archaeological material may not always be visible on the surface, particular settlement patterns may be identifiable by a topography created through cultural action: earthen mounds interchanging with mostly circular flattened areas. In northern Hispaniola, recent foot surveys have identified more than 200 pre-colonial sites of which several have been mapped in high resolution. In addition, three settlements with topographical characteristics have been extensively excavated, confirming that the mounds and flattened areas may have had a cultural connotation in this region. Without the availability of high resolution LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data, a photogrammetric approach using UAS (unmanned aircraft system, commonly known as drones) can fill the knowledge gap on a local scale, providing fast and reliable data collection and precise results. After photogrammetric processing, digital clearance of vegetation, and extraction of the georeferenced DEM (digital elevation model) and orthophoto, filters and enhancements provide an opportunity to visualize the results in GIS. The outcome provides an overview of site size, and distribution of mounds and flattened areas. Measurement of the topographic changes in a variety of past settlements defines likely zones of habitat, and provides clues on the actual dimensions and density of living space. Understanding the relation of the mounds and adjacent flat areas within their environment allows a discussion on how, and for what purpose, the settlement was founded at a particular location, and provides clues about its spatial organization.

Satellite imagery has had limited application in the analysis of pre-colonial settlement archaeology in the Caribbean; visible evidence of wooden structures perishes quickly in tropical climates. Only slight topographic modifications remain, typically associated with middens. Nonetheless, surface scatters, as well as the soil characteristics they produce, can serve as quantifiable indicators of an archaeological site, detectable by analyzing remote sensing imagery. A variety of pre-processed, very diverse data sets went through a process of image registration, with the intention to combine multispectral bands to feed two different semi-automatic direct detection algorithms: a posterior probability, and a frequentist approach. Two 5 × 5 km2 areas in the northwestern Dominican Republic with diverse environments, having sufficient imagery coverage, and a representative number of known indigenous site locations, served each for one approach. Buffers around the locations of known sites, as well as areas with no likely archaeological evidence were used as samples. The resulting maps offer quantifiable statistical outcomes of locations with similar pixel value combinations as the identified sites, indicating higher probability of archaeological evidence. These still very experimental and rather unvalidated trials, as they have not been subsequently groundtruthed, show variable potential of this method in diverse environments.

One of the most defining moments in history is Europe’s discovery of the ‘New World’ in 1492. It is generally known how Columbus succeeded in crossing the Atlantic Ocean, while trying to reach Asia via a westward route. It meant a sudden and unexpected encounter between two radically different cultures. According to popular belief, the Spaniards offered beads and mirrors to ignorant’ Indians and took home all the gold they could find. The Taíno were passive bystanders in the process of Spanish imperialism and colonialism. This thesis aims to eliminate these misconceptions through a critical reassessment of the role of European material culture in intercultural contacts in Hispaniola during the first decades of the colonial period. The discussion centres on the Taíno attitude towards these new objects, while emphasising their active participation and creative responses to the impacts of Spanish domination. An understanding of the dynamics, interactions and exchanges of the colonial encounter cannot be achieved without knowing the cultural-historical backgrounds of both parties. Their descriptions constitute Part I of the thesis. In Part II it is investigated which objects the Taíno received from the Spaniards and what they gave in return. The main questions to be answered are why the Taíno accepted the seeming trinkets of the Europeans and how and to what extent these were integrated into native society. Archaeology offers an indispensable dataset that, however, hitherto has not reached its full potential, not least because of the many difficulties involved in the archaeology of postcontact Taíno settlements. This thesis provides a current state of affairs by listing a representative number of site descriptions that have not been published in a similar way before.

Caribbean Amerindian societies had sophisticated regional socio-political and economic systems linked to important crops by the late 15th century when Spanish conquerors initiated the invasion of the Americas. These systems soon helped change the dynamics of the world's foodways, and scarce but mounting archeological and ethnohistoric evidence suggests that the Spaniards and later European intruders gained symbolic and factual control of primary subsistence scenarios in the region by exploiting the Amerindians' plant foodways systems, lands and political institutions. The aim of this study is to better understand the emergence and evolution of human–plant interrelationships before 1492, and the role which this played in the consolidation of foodways systems that later benefitted early European survival and domination in the Americas. To achieve this, we applied the first onsite multiproxy approach in the insular Caribbean based on phytoliths and other auxiliary data to stratigraphically arranged soil layers from several household mounds of two precolonial settlements in northern Dominican Republic (Hispaniola). Results indicate that these settlements were established in ecotonal lower montane moist/mesic forests with differential biodiversity, and varied socio-environmental choices and constraints encouraged the configuration of divergent plantscapes of dwelling there. The applied analytical perspective demonstrates the necessity of expanding, deepening and refining the used approach to illuminate the human and environmental dynamics which helped shape the ancient plantscapes in the Caribbean at the eve of the European irruption of the Americas. Keywords Caribbean, Amerindian, Hispaniola, Plantscapes, Phytoliths, Household mound

Both the English and Spanish language versions of this report area available in pdf.

The 1100-year sedimentary record of Laguna Biajaca reveals human-driven landscape changes in the central Cibao Valley, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola. This sediment-filled cutoff meander is located in close proximity to pre-Colonial archaeological sites and a Colonial urban hub. It provided a nutrient-rich floodable locus for agricultural activities for indigenous communities and for the first introduction of Old World crops and cattle in the Americas. Integration of paleoecological proxies revealed the formation of a clear-water body surrounded by a palm-rich forested landscape around 1100 cal yr BP. Changes in the drainage system were linked to human-driven deforestation, which also changed the composition of the vegetation and fungal communities around the site between AD 1150 and 1500 (800 and 700 cal yr BP). Pre-Colonial modifications of the landscape were primarily the result of fire-use and small-scale clearings. Crop cultivation developed between AD 1250 and 1450 (700–500 cal yr BP). Within decades after Columbus' arrival in Hispaniola in AD 1492, the first impacts of European colonization included the abandonment of indigenous sites and the introduction of Old World domesticated animals. During the 15th and 16th centuries the area underwent intensive land-clearing that allowed for larger scale crop cultivation. An increase of aquatic vegetation points to sediment-filling around AD 1700 (250 cal yr BP). At that time, cattle breeding expanded and rapidly provoked eutrophication while, concurrently, monocultures became regionally established. This paper provides a framework of past environmental dynamics and offers an opportunity to place archaeological findings in a context of natural and anthropogenic change.

The 1100-year sedimentary record of Laguna Biajaca reveals human-driven landscape changes in the central Cibao Valley, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola. This sediment-filled cutoff meander is located in close proximity to pre-Colonial archaeological sites and a Colonial urban hub. It provided a nutrient-rich floodable locus for agricultural activities for indigenous communities and for the first introduction of Old World crops and cattle in the Americas. Integration of paleoecological proxies revealed the formation of a clear-water body surrounded by a palm-rich forested landscape around 1100 cal yr BP. Changes in the drainage system were linked to human-driven deforestation, which also changed the composition of the vegetation and fungal communities around the site between AD 1150 and 1500 (800 and 700 cal yr BP). Pre-Colonial modifications of the landscape were primarily the result of fire-use and small-scale clearings. Crop cultivation developed between AD 1250 and 1450 (700–500 cal yr BP). Within decades after Columbus’ arrival in Hispaniola in AD 1492, the first impacts of European colonization included the abandonment of indigenous sites and the introduction of Old World domesticated animals. During the 15th and 16th centuries the area underwent intensive land-clearing that allowed for larger scale crop cultivation. An increase of aquatic vegetation points to sediment-filling around AD 1700 (250 cal yr BP). At that time, cattle breeding expanded and rapidly provoked eutrophication while, concurrently, monocultures became regionally established. This paper provides a framework of past environmental dynamics and offers an opportunity to place archaeological findings in a context of natural and anthropogenic change.

The study of landscape during the past it’s one’s of the most important way for a best economic and social policy for our future. In Italy traditional economic system is divided into industrial district with high and specific know how, each of them designed around the typical characteristics of its region. Today crisis has 146 changed this system, almost perfect, because italian Governance hasn’t protected and developed districts. So, nowaday, it’s difficult for us to find best and creative solutions for our economy. However in the past, we can think especially during the Middle Age, the Italy’s economic system was very different and more differentiated. All resources available in a specific site were exploited for a lively micro economy also in little and fringe areas, how show us studies and archaeological evidences. The Sessera Valley (BI) is a tipycal example: a small fringe area in the border of three different local government districts, Biella, Novara and Vercelli, far away from cities and main roads, near the mountains, nowaday straitened and depopulated, also if it has many natural resources available.The study of sources, around the Middle Age, show us that the Bishop of Vercelli and some of the most important Eastern Piedmont families of high rank had here economic and political affairs, and, although there isn’t comparison between urban and mountains areas, we can say that all resources, both low and high lands, were managed with attention and this has produced a micro functional economic system, able to breed local “activities linked”. This is very important for us, because we can know more information about interlock among geomorphology, landascape, resources and social, politics and religious links, for to understand development trends and capacities unexpressed of the whole Country.The last but not least to know the ecomomics history starting to each single landascape it’s a win win strategy to be able to catch a great goal for a sustainable future, thanks to a new policy season more aware and finally careful at our heritage.If archaeological and historical studies will real become tools for politics, economic and social planning by our Government than we will really to be able to take care our heritage and to design a sustainable and right future for all people, respecting and valorizing all our important resources. Lac 2014 Third International Landscape Archaeology Conference 2014 Rome 17-20 settembre 2014 My poster as Indipendent Researcher