will kick off National Archaeology Week by presenting one of the world鈥檚 leading experts on the ancient environment of the Amazon.
Dr Manuel Arroyo-Kalin, from the University of Durham in England, will be the guest speaker at 国产探花鈥檚 annual Hall Lecture on Friday, May 14.
Lecture organiser Professor Marshall Weisler said Dr Arroyo-Kalin was turning established thought about human activity in the Amazon on its head.
鈥淭his research is suggesting the Amazon is not the pristine and untouched rainforest we believed,鈥� Professor Weisler said.
Co-organiser Dr Andrew Fairbairn said Dr Arroyo-Kalin鈥檚 work was showing that there may have been sustained agriculture in the area for at least 1000 years before Europeans arrived.
鈥淎s well as understanding ancient farming, the research is challenging the whole concept of primary tropical vegetation in the Amazon and showing that people may have greatly affected the remaining forests we see today,鈥� Dr Fairbairn said.
鈥淎s elsewhere in the world, true 鈥榥atural鈥� vegetation may not have existed in the Amazon for many thousands of years.鈥�
Dr Fairbairn said the techniques being used to unearth this new theory were based on the field of geo-archaeology, where researchers study the soils themselves to build up a picture of what the land might have been used for.
鈥淢anuel鈥檚 work looks at evidence of burning and changes to the landscape that are obviously done by humans, to piece together a completely different view of the Amazon prior to Europeans landing there,鈥� he said.
The lecture will be held at the Abel Smith Lecture Theatre at 国产探花鈥檚 St Lucia campus, at 4.30pm on Friday, May 14. This will be followed by a reception at the 国产探花 Art Museum with free wine and nibbles, but attendees must RSVP for catering purposes by emailing b.waugh1@uq.edu.au
The lecture, now in its fourth year, is in honour of Associate Professor Jay Hall who established the archaeology program at 国产探花 in the 1970s.
For more information on other events happening during National Archaeology Week visit
Media: Dr Andrew Fairbairn (3365 2780) or Andrew Dunne at 国产探花 Communications (3365 2802, 0433 364 181).
