Dr João Saldanha will be introducing us to the process of Neolithisation in Eastern Amazonia and the rise of monumentality in the area making comparisons with the process in Eurasia. Following the successful colonisation of the globe by our species, new waves of human expansion happened during the Holocene period after the Last Ice Age, reshaping cultural, linguistic and genetic landscapes worldwide. Such expansions may have been triggered by the emergence of the Neolithisation process. The demographic and technological advantages offered by the onset of agriculture as drivers of Holocene cultural expansions are also supported by the appearance and distribution of new ideological forms of display, such as megalithic monuments.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: Client;

Eurasia has always played a central role in debates relating to the Neolithisation process and the rise of early forms of monumentality. Lowland South America has, however, been notably absent, due in part to the smaller amount of reliable evidence available when compared to that from Eurasia. In this lecture, João wants to fill the gap by comparing the links between the increase in food production systems, the associated increase in population growth rate and the rise and forms of monumentality in Eurasia and Lowland South America.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: Client;

Non-members are welcome to attend AAA lectures for a 5-euro admission fee, with all money raised by the AAA being used for archaeological grants and speakers. For more information contact algarvearchass@gmail.com, visit arquealgarve.weebly.com or Facebook 'Algarve Archaeological Association'. Please check the website or Facebook page for any last-minute changes.

by Press release by Jane Robertson