scholarly journals Reevaluating human colonization of the Caribbean using chronometric hygiene and Bayesian modeling

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. eaar7806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew F. Napolitano ◽  
Robert J. DiNapoli ◽  
Jessica H. Stone ◽  
Maureece J. Levin ◽  
Nicholas P. Jew ◽  
...  

Human settlement of the Caribbean represents the only example in the Americas of peoples colonizing islands that were not visible from surrounding mainland areas or other islands. Unfortunately, many interpretive models have relied on radiocarbon determinations that do not meet standard criteria for reporting because they lack critical information or sufficient provenience, often leading to specious interpretations. We have collated 2484 radiocarbon determinations, assigned them to classes based on chronometric hygiene criteria, and constructed Bayesian colonization models of the acceptable determinations to examine patterns of initial settlement. Colonization estimates for 26 islands indicate that (i) the region was settled in two major population dispersals that likely originated from South America; (ii) colonists reached islands in the northern Antilles before the southern islands; and (iii) the results support the southward route hypothesis and refute the “stepping-stone model.”

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (45) ◽  
pp. 212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo G. Nami

 “Fishtail” or just “Fell” points represent an excellent marker to know and discuss the existence of colonizers hunter-gatherers living in Central and South America during the end of the Pleistocene at about 11000-10000 14C yr BP. Investigations of Venezuelan fishtail points yielded additional data on their manufacturing procedure to help discuss the human colonization of northern South America. The finds from northern Venezuela on the Caribbean Sea yielded a link arguing for the use of the Atlantic slope and the current continental shelf during human dispersal in South America.“Rabo de peixe” ou somente pontas Fell representam um excelente indicador para conhecer e discutir a existência de colonizadores caçadores-coletores que viveram na América Central e do Sul durante o final do Pleistoceno há aproximadamente 11.000-10.000 14C anos AP. Pesquisas com pontas Rabo de peixe da Venezuela proporcionaram dados adicionais sobre o seu processo de fabricação contribuindo na discussão da colonização humana do norte da América do Sul. As descobertas do norte da Venezuela no Mar do Caribe defendem a utilização da vertente Atlântica e da plataforma continental atual durante a dispersão humana na América do Sul.


2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary M. Fellers

Rollo Howard Beck (1870–1950) was a professional bird collector who spent most of his career on expeditions to the Channel Islands off southern California, the Galápagos Islands, South America, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. Some of the expeditions lasted as long as ten years during which time he and his wife, Ida, were often working in primitive conditions on sailing vessels or camps set up on shore. Throughout these expeditions, Beck collected specimens for the California Academy of Sciences, the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at Berkeley (California), the American Museum of Natural History, and the Walter Rothschild Museum at Tring, England. Beck was one of the premier collectors of his time and his contributions were recognized by having 17 taxa named becki in his honor. Of these taxa, Beck collected 15 of the type specimens.


Author(s):  
Gail L. Christeson ◽  
Paul Mann ◽  
Alejandro Escalona ◽  
Trevor J. Aitken

Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 486 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-105
Author(s):  
LAURA C. DE LANNOY ◽  
AYRTON I. DE OLIVEIRA ◽  
RENATO GOLDENBERG ◽  
DUANE F. LIMA

Myrtaceae is one of the largest families in number of species within the order Myrtales and one of the richest families in Brazil. Myrcia is the fourth largest genus of Myrtaceae, with approximately 770 species distributed from Central America and the Caribbean to southern South America. In Brazil Myrcia is represented by 397 species, of which 309 are endemic. In this study, we present the taxonomic treatment for all species of Myrcia that occur in Paraná state, Brazil. Analyses of herbarium specimens, online databases, and bibliography were performed. Fifty-three species of Myrcia occur in Paraná, distributed in all vegetation types. Twenty-three names were excluded from previous lists of species or listed as doubtful species. Neither of the recorded species is endemic to Paraná, but this state is the southern and northern limit of distribution of six and two species, respectively. We present an identification key, taxonomic descriptions, figures, maps, and comments on phenology, habitat, and morphology for each species.


2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (04) ◽  
pp. 137-139
Author(s):  
Mehdi Elman oğlu Bağırov ◽  

The distribution of the world's hotel chains to more and more countries is also reflected in our country, and the development of this type of chain hotels is growing day by day. Along with the development of technology, the tourism infrastructure and its key element, the hotel industry, is also developing. Today, investments are being made in a planned way to modernize the hotel business, build new hotels, and introduce new technologies and forms of service. Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is an international hotel chain owned by Marriott International. Sheraton has 446 hotels with 155,617 rooms worldwide, including locations in North America, Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean. Key words: hotel chains, investment, technology, hotel business, tourism infrastructure


Author(s):  
Stuart Bedford ◽  
Matthew Spriggs

The more than 1,000-kilometer stretch of eighty-two inhabited islands comprising the Vanuatu archipelago is centrally situated in the southwest Pacific. These islands were first settled in the late Holocene by Lapita colonists as part of a rapid migratory event that travelled as far east as Tonga. Over three millennia Vanuatu has transformed into an extraordinarily diverse country both linguistically and culturally. The challenge to archaeology is to explain how such diversity has arisen. This chapter addresses a range of themes that are central to the definition and understanding of the timing and nature of initial settlement, levels of interconnectedness, cultural transformation and diversification, human impact on pristine environments, and impacts of natural hazards on resident populations. Vanuatu research contributes to regional debates on human colonization, patterns of social interaction, and the drivers of social change in island contexts.


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