Ancient Occupation Research Articles

The Ongoing Sungai Jaong Archaeological Project (2018‑2024), Sarawak, Malaysia: Preliminary Results

More than fifty years after the last excavations undertaken in the coastal area of the Sarawak River Delta, new archaeological excavations in the region started in 2019, through a cooperation between the École française dʼExtrême-Orient and the Sarawak Museum Department. This article offers the preliminary results of researches conducted at the Sungai Jaong site, in the Santubong area, until late 2023. Despite a very limited excavated surface area, the conduct of metallurgical activities in ancient times has been recognised and attested without any doubt for the first time in the Sarawak River Delta. Several remains of iron smelting furnaces, dated between mid-11th and late 12th-13th century CE, have been uncovered. They could represent the first iron smelting furnaces, dated to early second millennium CE, reported so far on the whole island of Borneo. Other finds include notably more than seven tons of iron slag, some 3,200 fragments of tuyeres, 6,600 earthenware sherds, almost 2,500 stoneware shards, and several grooved stones. Various analyses of these finds are underway, including a compositional analysis of iron slag samples. Archaeological research at Sungai Jaong also includes a geomorphological study to shed light on the interactions between the ancient occupation of the site and the environment over the longue durée.

: Effectiveness Of Information And Communication Technology In Hill Agriculture: A Case Study

For all round development of agriculture, the communication process deserves its significant role as in case of social, economic, religious, political and educational development. Farming is an ancient occupation. If the farming may be recognized only as a factory of producing the food grains there is no difference between the ancient time and modern time farming. According to the economics, for other productions there are needed factors as land, labour, money and management which are still in the present and were in the past also. Now, what is the modern farming? The modern farming is that in which the person adopts the latest new methods of farming based on science for the agricultural production. Thus for the modern agriculture there is need of one more factor and this factor is the latest knowledge. Thus, in the modern agriculture for the agricultural production along with the four factors one more factor of the latest knowledge (fifth) has been added. The question arises from where this new knowledge may be achieved? The first need is that to create the new knowledge and the second need is to send this latest knowledge to the farmers. More than three-fourths of total population of Uttarakhand depends on agriculture for their livelihood. The economy is predominantly dependent on mountain agriculture, however, the land holdings are small and fragmented, and irrigation facilities limited. Soil and water conservation is another issue for inclusive development. As a result, the majority of the rural population in the hills either survives on subsistence agriculture or migrates to other parts of the country for employment. The state faces the challenge of promoting livelihoods to retain people through local employment and income generation and to enhance their quality of life. The success of agricultural development programmes in developing countries largely depends on the nature and extent of use of communication media in mobilization of people for development. The planners in developing countries realize that the development of agriculture could be hastened with the effective use of communication media. A wide variety of communication technologies are available for diffusion of innovations / information to Indian farmers. For effective communication / information the basic ingredients are purpose of communication, information / innovations to be communicated, methods to be employed, end users and response or reaction of the users. ICTs are emerging as a powerful tool for gender empowerment in a developing country like India. The new tools and techniques are evolving and the implications are clearly visible in a global scale but the level of dissemination of ICT in hills is very low. No doubt, communication media created a greater awareness among farmers thus contributing a lot to our “food self-sufficiency status” of nowadays. In the present investigation the status and usage of communication media by hill farmers and the kind of communication media to enhance their agricultural knowledge were incorporated. Communication media methods in agricultural information dissemination generally, are useful in reaching a wide listeners at a very fast rate. To a large extent, communication media serve as a authentic instrument for information dissemination in agriculture.

INTRODUCTION OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH (K3) PRINCIPLES IN BLACKSMITHS VILLAGE

Background: One of the more ancient occupations is blacksmithing, which involves risky and dangerous work in the unorganized sector. Blacksmithing's risks and hazards must be understood and managed in order to prevent workplace accidents and illnesses. Objective: Blacksmiths are to be introduced to occupational safety and health concepts through this exercise. Methods: Blacksmiths from Pamboborang Village in Majene Regency participated in this endeavor as partners. utilizing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which is broken down into three stages of activity—preparation, implementation, and evaluation—the stages of carrying out the activities are carried out in an approach through discussion, education/counseling, and practice utilizing PPE. There were 27 blacksmiths who took part in this activity. Result: Participants are given information on workplace hazards and risks and control measures that can be implemented. Participants were also given basic K3 information. Participants were also taught about the many types and benefits of personal protective equipment (PPE) and practiced using it. Conclusion: Community service activities in the form of an introduction to K3 principles in the blacksmith community are progressing well and according to the plan.

An Ancient Road Network and Settlements in the Central ash-Sharah Area in the Hinterland of Petra

This paper presents the archaeological evidence for the existence of an ancient road network in the study area of the Central ash-Sharah area. It presents a detailed description of the route and general characteristics of each road, and its relation with the ancient settlement sites in its proximity and with other ancient roads. The paper discusses also other aspects relevant to the topic such the date of the recorded road network, and the nature of the ancient occupation in the study area.

Recent advances in estimation of paraquat using various analytical techniques: A review

Agriculture, one of the ancient occupations is considered as the backbone of any civilization across the countries. Development of agriculture and its technology has constantly evolved right from its origin. To increase agricultural productivity, people have started using pesticides. In ancient times, people used organic manures, however later, they have moved to synthetic/chemical pesticides, which are hazardous as well. The synthetic pesticides are not only harmful towards human beings but also to the environment. Among the available pesticides, paraquat (PQ) is one of the common herbicides used in agriculture. Usage of this herbicide leads to several life-threatening diseases and increases mortality rate. Therefore, quick, selective, and efficient detection of PQ in soil, water, and agro-products is very much essential to prevent its hazardous effects. In this perspective, several methods have been proposed in the literature for the detection of PQ using variety of catalysts.This review provides an insight on the detection of PQ using various analytical techniques including adsorption, spectrophotometric methods, chromatographic methods, and electrochemical methods etc. Further, it focuses on the different type of catalytic materials like metal nanoparticles, carbonaceous materials, and their composites, metals, polymers, and their roles during the determination of PQ. In addition, it analyses the effectiveness of the catalyst materials in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, real time monitoring in fruit juices like potato and apple juices, water samples etc., towards the detection of PQ.

Agriculture 1O1

Abstract: Agriculture is the backbone of Asian nation and therefore the farmer may be a crucial component of it. Agriculture is primary and ancient occupation of Asian nation, and it's a supply of support for many of the population residing in India. Agriculture sector desires plenty of public sector support for a property growth. Government has issued varied schemes and incentives to the farmers to supply them social and monetary security. The introduction of contemporary techniques in agriculture sector has helped boost-up the productivity level, alongside an improvement in price and labor used. Trendy agricultural technique's area unit dynamic approach to agricultural innovations and farming practices that helps farmers increase potency and cut back the number of natural resources required to satisfy the world's food, fuel and fiber demands. Value prediction may be a huge issue for farmers WHO don't seem to be tuned in to the market costs. Foretelling value of agriculture commodities helps the farmers to foresee the market and grow appropriate crop to maximize profit. Forecasting weather API provides information regarding the longer term weather, so farmers will pre-plan their agricultural activities. For forecasting of weather, we tend to record the pattern of weather of past few days and so predict the longer-term weather. Farm Profit Calculation provides farmers a tool to grasp a way to maximize monetary potency for his or her operation. We wish farmers to urge the foremost bang for his or her buck, and learn wherever they'll cut back inputs while not touching their bottom line. Hoarding is an act of aggregation great amount of merchandise and keeping it to yourself to extend the market value. Farmers encounter high production prices in their efforts to spice up production however hardly get truthful rating of their merchandise from the middlemen. Therefore, farmers will keep track on activities of the middlemen. Thus, the system helps the farmers to ease their life. Keywords: Weather, Price Prediction, Hoarding, Profit.

Greek History

Free labour constitutes the largest black hole in ancient Greek economic and social history. The New Institutional Economics approaches that are currently so influential in Greek economic history focus on growth and transaction costs, but have largely ignored labour; it is not accidental that Bresson's monumental synthesis of ancient Greek economies has no chapter devoted to the issue. This is what makes the volume edited by Edmund Stewart, Edward Harris, and David Lewis on skilled labour and professionalism in ancient societies such an important contribution. The thirteen chapters explore three major issues. The first concerns the processes through which the division of labour and specialization created distinctions between unskilled and skilled labour. The second theme focuses on the major advantages that treasured skills offered to those individuals and groups that possessed them, and the ways in which individuals and states recruited and bargained with skilled labourers. The third is the extent to which it is possible to use the concept of professionalization to describe the process by which some ancient occupations came to constitute professions. The volume examines various case studies: while in some instances it is possible to describe such forms of skilled labour as professions (doctors, sculptors, musicians, actors), in other areas (athletes, soldiers) such a label is highly misleading. Particularly valuable in this respect is the exploration of the impact of various factors and processes on the extent of professionalization of different occupations.

Geophysical survey in archaeological context: A review from Cyprus

AbstractCyprus, the third largest Mediterranean island, is located at an exceptional crossroad in the eastern Mediterranean, where cultures from the Middle East, Africa and Europe have interacted for more than 10 000 years. The aim of this paper is to present an exhaustive review of the past archaeological geophysical surveys on the island. The result of our research indicates that to date, more than 30 archaeological sites spanning from the Pre‐Pottery Neolithic (ca. 10 000 BC) to the Venetian period (up to 1571 AD) have been investigated through noninvasive ground‐based techniques. The investigations concern the mapping of the extent of ancient occupation (settlements and cemeteries), the study of the internal organization of settlements (domestic architecture, palaces and fortifications), the investigation of funerary structures (tombs) and the use of space within buildings. The methods implemented are multiple and often used in combination. Emphasis has been given to ground penetrating radar (GPR), electromagnetic induction (EMI) and magnetic and electrical resistance techniques. Most surveys have been targeted towards the production of maps representing the spatial distribution of the subsurface architectural residues, and sometimes these have been accompanied by soundings, tomographies, as well as 3D reconstructions of the ancient structures. Very few sites have been subjected to the measurements of the chemical or magnetic properties of the soils in relation to the results of geophysical prospection. Further discussion concerns (i) the targets of the archaeo‐geophysical surveys in Cyprus, (ii) the limitations of the application of the specific techniques in relation to the Cypriot archaeological and geological context, (iii) the geophysical signatures of archaeological remains and (iv) the metadata accompanying the geophysical results.

New insights into the daily and symbolic use of plants during initial occupations of Formentera (Balearic Islands, Spain)

The island of Formentera, with its small extension and flat orography, was settled relatively late in Mediterranean prehistory between the third and second millennium BC. The sites presented in this paper, Cova des Fum and Cova des Riuets, offer evidence of the island’s first occupation. Cova des Fum comprises a necropolis of the Bronze Age and two sanctuary spaces (used, at least, from 2035 cal BC), with hearths and water management structures. Cova des Riuets is a habitation site from the beginning of the Bronze Age (available dates ranging from 2030 to 1760 cal BC). This landscape study, among the first on the ancient occupation of the island, focuses on the plant macro-remains from both sites, providing new data on the vegetation of the surrounding areas and the use of both wild and domesticated plant resources for various daily and ritual tasks. The firewood came from evergreen thermo-Mediterranean formations well adapted to drought and summer heat, as well as rocky environments, and could have been collected in the vicinity of the sites. The autochthonous character of some species, such as the fig tree, has also been investigated and has provided the oldest existing date for this species on the island. This study reveals some peculiarities in the island’s subsistence strategy that are relevant to the study of small islands more generally.

Genotoxicity linked to occupational exposure in uranium mine workers: Granzyme B and apoptotic changes.

Uranium mining and processing are an ancient occupation, recognized as being grueling and accountable for injury and disease. Uranium (U) is a radioactive heavy metal used in many industrial applications. It increases the micronuclei frequencies as well as chromosomal aberration and sister chromatid exchange in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Granzyme B and perforin are stored inside the leukocytes in secretory granules. These proteins are released outside the cells by a cell-to-cell contact under specific conditions for inducing apoptosis. So, this study investigated the potential health hazards with prominence on the biological effects of radiation exposure. A cross-sectional analytic research was conducted on Egyptian male mining field workers. Leucocytes' genotoxicity was evaluated using DNA fragmentation assay and comet assay. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis of Granzyme B protein was done. A significant increase in dead cells after dual acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) fluorescent staining in radiation-exposed groups was noticed compared to control groups. Moreover, a significant increase in the fragmented DNA was evident in exposed groups relative to the control one. Granzyme B protein levels showed a significant increase concerning control. A wide variety of adverse human health risks are considered a potential risk to Egyptian uranium miners. For employers working in both mining and processing fields, the most common molecular shift highlighted was the leucocyte damage in blood samples. To preserve the health of all employees, health education and administration of effective hazard management procedures are necessary.

Archaeological palynology of a Quaternary coastal plain in southernmost Brazil

Discussions on the relationships between human groups and the environment are recurring Archaeology topics around the world. In South America, there is a specific kind of archaeological site called “earthen mound”, locally known as “cerritos de indios” that is ethnically linked to the Charrua and Minuano groups. They mainly cover southernmost Brazil (state of Rio Grande do Sul), Uruguay, and northeast Argentina. The study of the formative processes of these sites and their relationship with former inhabitants reveal distinct morphological and cultural characteristics in the context of each earthen mound occurrence. Thus, palynological studies associated with interdisciplinary research are important tools for understanding the environmental, and cultural dynamics of mound-builders. Within this context, this study presents new data on the formative processes and role of southern Brazilian earthen mounds by combining palynological, sedimentological, and chemical analyses. The analyses were performed on the earthen mound PSG-02 and adjacent area sediments, located on the southernmost Brazilian coastal plain, in a wetland called Pontal da Barra, at the estuary of Patos Lagoon. It was possible establish some relationships between its ancient occupation and the environmental dynamics and identify the influence of numerous environmental factors on their social dynamics. The earthen mound PSG-02, dated between 1280 ± 20 and 1859 ± 29 years BP, would probably be in a multifunctional context and was strategically located for gathering of natural resources as well as a dwelling and a funerary monument. Our findings are fundamental for understanding the interactions between earthen mound communities and the environment, filling another behavioral evolution gap of particular past human groups.

Les grottes de Qumrân. État de la question suite à la publication d’un livre

The recent publication of the proceedings of a conference held in Lugano, Switzerland, highlighted the caves related to the site of Khirbet Qumran, not only the eleven caves with manuscripts but also the other caves around. Remaining in the blind spot of the manuscripts, the caves, or rather the shelters in the vast majority of places, in the Judean desert provide information on the material culture of the ancient (permanent or temporary) occupants and by extension, on those who deposited the so-called Qumran manuscripts discovered between 1947 and 1956. The book raises essential methodological questions about the limitations of current archaeological data after the frequent use of the shelters by the moderns, about how the archaeologist selects published data, and about the uses and misuses of statistics.

New data on the 4th-3rd millennia in Northern Mesopotamia: The ancient occupations at Gird Lashkir in their archaeological contexts

New results from recent excavation at Gird Lashkir (Erbil, Kurdistan region, Iraq) are presented in this paper. Data from the most archaic occupation phases so far discovered at the site will be discussed, with special emphasis on the Late Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age. This article presents data related to architecture and subsistence (bioarchaeological analyses, organic residue analyses, etc.) as well as craft activities (ceramic production, metallurgy, etc.). The general characterisation of the settlement in these periods will be compared to similar horizons in Northern Mesopotamia, particularly in the Erbil Plain.

Image processing in plant diseases detection

Agricultural productivity is something on which economy highly depends. It is important to monitor the plant during its growth period, as well as, at the time of harvest. In this paper, image processing is used as a tool to monitor the diseases on fruits during farming, right from plantation to harvesting. Agriculture is a most important and ancient occupation in India. As economy of India is based on agricultural production, utmost care of food production is necessary. Pests like virus, fungus and bacteria causes infection to plants with loss in quality and quantity production. There is large amount of loss of farmer in production. Hence proper care of plants is necessary for same. This paper presents an overview of using image processing methods to detect various plant diseases. Image processing provides more efficient ways to detect diseases caused by fungus, bacteria or virus on plants. Mere observations by eyes to detect diseases are not accurate. Overdose of pesticides causes harmful chronic diseases on human beings as not washed properly. Excess use also damages plants nutrient quality. It results in huge loss of production to farmer. Hence use of image processing techniques to detect and classify diseases in agricultural applications is helpful. Identification of the plant diseases is the key to preventing the losses in the yield and quantity of the agricultural product. The studies of the plant diseases mean the studies of visually observable patterns seen on the plant. Health monitoring and disease detection on plant is very critical for sustainable agriculture. It is very difficult to monitor the plant diseases manually. It requires tremendous amount of work, expertize in the plant diseases, and also require the excessive processing time. Hence, image processing is used for the detection of plant diseases. Disease detection involves the steps like image acquisition, image pre-processing, image segmentation, feature extraction and classification. This paper discussed the methods used for the detection of plant diseases using their leaves images. This paper also discussed.

Wheat Leaf Detection and Prevention Using Support Vector Machine

Agriculture is an ancient occupation. Machine learning technique is used for wheat leaf disease detection. Disease is restricting the growth of wheat plant. Quality and quantity of wheat plant is also reduced by it. For color space lab color space is used. Wheat leaf image is captured by the digital camera. After it the captured image is processed to determine the diseased and un-diseased status of each test leaf. To identify the clusters of wheat leaf k-means clustering method is used. The classification technique support vector machine is used to perform action on different wheat leaf samples. Support vector machine contains two datasets; one is training dataset and testing data. Comparison result shows the diseased and un-diseased leaf from the test data. Test results verified by terms; mean, standard deviation, variance, median and mode.

Occupational Health Risks and Hazards Among the Fisherfolk in Kampi Samaki, Lake Baringo, Kenya.

Globally, almost 2.78 million deaths that occur annually are attributed to work-related health risks. Worldwide and, especially, in developing countries, about 20% to 50% of the workers are exposed to health risks. Fishing is an ancient occupation, and like many others, it is characterized by numerous health risks and hazards. This study sought to understand the exposure of fisherfolk to human health risks, through fish handling and processing in Lake Baringo, Kenya. The study adopted a cross-sectional social survey design. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select respondents for this study. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to the respondents to collect data on risks involved during the handling and processing of fish. Key informant interviews and observation checklists were also used to collect more information. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Inferential statistics included Pearson χ2 test, which was used to test the association of various factors on the encounter with occupational health risks. The level of significance was tested at α = 0.05. The study findings reveal the fisherfolk-encountered risks such as cuts, eye irritability, sunburns, skin burn, cold, falls, and musculoskeletal injuries during their work. The results showed that only 12% of the fisherfolk use personal protective equipments (PPEs) at work. Pearson χ2 test analysis showed there was an association between gender and gender roles (χ2 = 39.517, P < .05). In addition, an association was revealed between occupational health risks and gender (χ2 = 16.283, P < .05). There was also an association between occupational hazards and gender (χ2 = 21.352, P < .05). However, there was no association revealed between occupational health risk and marital status (χ2 = 1.305, P > .05) and PPEs (χ2 = 1.089, P > .05). Furthermore, results indicate that 61% of the fisherfolk who suffered from occupational health risks missed work. The study concludes that all the fisherfolk at Kampi Samaki are exposed to various health risks while working, which is thus likely to affect their health. We recommend public health campaigns to sensitize fisherfolk on the associated risks in fish handling and processing. There is also a need for health campaigns for the fisherfolk to appreciate the need for First Aid Kits during the fishing operations.

Representação de Geossistêmas em Estudos de Arqueologia da Paisagem: Ambientes Ancestrais em Ilhéus, Nordeste do Brasil

As ocupações pretéritas no espaço geográfico remontam vivências que detinham relações singulares com os atributos naturais. Nesse sentido, a Arqueologia da Paisagem tenta desvendar, através de vestígios arqueológicos, os modos de vida das populações ancestrais. A abordagem metodológica que traduz os sistemas naturais e suas relações com os sistemas antrópicos é conhecida como teoria geossistêmica, que auxilia a Arqueologia da Paisagem nos padrões de ocorrências pretéritas oriundas de configurações ambientais. O objetivo dessa pesquisa foi expor os cenários geossistêmicos de Ilhéus, Bahia, Brasil, que condicionaram as ocupações desde o período pré-colonial brasileiro. Foram identificados 4 geossistemas que definiram a forma de grupos pré-coloniais ocuparem a região, além de favorecer o crescimento da colônia a partir do século XIX através da produção de cana-de-açúcar nos engenhos locais.

Going Vertical

ABSTRACTMost archaeological practice involves horizontal excavations of ancient occupations and cemeteries, but the Chachapoya of Peru's eastern montane built tombs along narrow cliff ledges, which require innovative methods of investigation. Many of these sites are becoming exposed and threatened due to increased deforestation. The La Petaca mortuary complex includes 125 constructed platforms, modified ledges, mausoleums, and caves containing human remains across one section of an exposed rock face approximately 200 m across by approximately 80 m high. While the site has been looted and damaged due to various taphonomic processes (including ecological, geological, and cultural), we argue that there are recoverable details, especially in relation to how the ancient Chachapoya people created and accessed these vertical spaces. Through collaboration with technical professionals, we identified and documented many tombs using vertical progression techniques. This valuable partnership between spelunkers and archaeologists allowed us to develop techniques for “vertical archaeology,” including safe access in order to be able to document, sample, and make detailed observations of building methods and burial contents.

Vorberichte/Preliminary Reports: Preliminary Report on the Investigation of a Late Period Tomb with Aramaic Inscription at el-Sheikh Fadl/Egypt

This article provides a brief summary of archaeological fieldwork conducted by the University of Vienna Middle Egypt Project at el-Sheikh Fadl Umm Raqaba with a special focus on one particular Late Period tomb, A2 T1. Having been discovered by Flinders Petrie in the early 20th century, this rock-cut tomb is of special interest because of a lengthy Aramaic dipinto inscription with a literary text telling the tale of the Egyptian rebel Inaros who fought against the Assyrian occupation during the 7th century BCE. The tomb was fully excavated for the first time by the Austrian mission in 2016 and 2017. Significant and substantial new evidence was uncovered including large quantities of human remains and artefacts that provide insights into the ancient occupation of the tomb as well as its dating. Importantly, the Aramaic inscription and the underlying original painted decoration of the tomb were subject to intensive new study that included first-hand confirmation of the reading of the rebel’s name as ynḥrw being the Aramaic form of the Egyptian name ’ir.t-ḥr-r.r=w (Greek Ináros). Further, the inscription and decorations were recorded with the assistance of Multispectral Imaging (MSI) technology which enabled to counterbalance degeneration and modern graffiti to enhance better reading. The first results of this new archaeological work would suggest that the tomb itself probably dates somewhat later than had been previously suggested, which, nevertheless, opens up new possibilities to explain the significance and provide an interpretation for this unusual inscription as well as for the tomb, the site and the region surrounding el-Sheikh Fadl.

Stability and instability on Maya Lowlands tropical hillslope soils

Substantial lake core and other evidence shows accelerated soil erosion occurred in the Maya Lowlands of Central America over ancient Maya history from 3000 to 1000years ago. But we have little evidence of the wider network of the sources and sinks of that eroded sediment cascade. This study begins to solve the mystery of missing soil with new research and a synthesis of existing studies of tropical forest soils along slopes in NW Belize. The research aim is to understand soil formation, long-term human impacts on slopes, and slope stability over time, and explore ecological implications. We studied soils on seven slopes in tropical forest areas that have experienced intensive ancient human impacts and those with little ancient impacts. All of our soil catenas, except for one deforested from old growth two years before, contain evidence for about 1000years of stable, tropical forest cover since Maya abandonment. We characterized the physical, chemical, and taxonomic characteristics of soils at crest-shoulder, backslopes, footslopes, and depression locations, analyzing typical soil parameters, chemical elements, and carbon isotopes (δ13C) in dated and undated sequences. Four footslopes or depressions in areas of high ancient occupation preserved evidence of buried, clay-textured soils covered by coarser sediment dating from the Maya Classic period. Three footslopes from areas with scant evidence of ancient occupation had little discernable deposition. These findings add to a growing corpus of soil toposequences with similar facies changes in footslopes and depressions that date to the Maya period. Using major elemental concentrations across a range of catenas, we derived a measure (Ca+Mg)/(Al+Fe+Mn) of the relative contributions of autochthonous and allochthonous materials and the relative age of soil catenas. We found very low ratios in clearly older, buried soils in footslopes and depressions and on slopes that had not undergone ancient Maya erosion. We found high (Ca+Mg)/(Al+Fe+Mn) values on slopes with several lines of evidence that suggest relative youth, soils possibly formed since Maya abandonment. Carbon isotopes (δ13C) also provide some evidence of past vegetation change on slopes. We found strong evidence for maize or other alien C4 species in an ancient terrace soil and additional evidence in buried footslopes but only evidence for C3 species (like tropical trees) on the backslopes and other crest-shoulders. The fact that steep slopes preserved no evidence of C4 species inputs may mean that the ancient Maya maintained forests here. Alternatively, ancient Maya land uses eroded slopes, with the δ13C signatures detected today being the result of more recent soil development under forest over the last millennium. Additional evidence that these soils are recent in age includes elevated (Ca+Mg)/(Al+Fe+Mn) values, skeletal soil profiles, and low soil magnetic susceptibility. Besides the evidence for truncating backslopes and aggrading footslopes, the ancient Maya built agricultural terraces that accumulated soils and altered drainage. All these ancient Maya slope alterations would have influenced modern tree distributions, because many tree species in the modern forest show strong preferences for different soil types and topographic situations that the ancient Maya changed.