149:. Water-worn potsherds of the lowest layers indicate that both ridges were subject to flooding during spring tides, suggesting that occupation was not initially year-round. Later, the modern coastline âwas established through the buildup of an offshore barâ, and the ridges of the site became surrounded by a water-filled lagoon. Hearths, post-holes, and pits became common, and shell, bone, pottery, charcoal, and stone tools became more concentrated, suggesting a more permanent occupation once the ridges were safe from flooding. Ranere and Hansell (1978) also argue that the abandonment of the site by its occupants later coincides with the lagoonâs being silted in and its conversion into a salt flat. Placement of Monagrillo maximized access to aquatic resources; whereas terrestrial resources may have been accessed through small camp sites on the plains (such as the
273:. A different edge-ground cobble recovered from 20â30 cm below the surface âyielded palm phytoliths and a starch grain characteristic of maizeâ. These admittedly limited results seem to indicate the presence of maize and possibly manioc at Monagrillo, something that had previously been elusive to researchers.
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in the diets of the occupants. Whereas only 37 fish vertebrae and 50 crab claws were reported following early excavations, fieldwork in 1975 recovered thousands of âsmall sardine-sizedâ fish vertebrae and âhundreds upon hundredsâ of crab claws. It has been suggested that the siteâs occupants used
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were initially dominant, but when âthe silt-burdened lagoon floor was formed,â surrounding conditions became favorable for the proliferation of clams. These became more common in the cultural layer. Later, the lagoon became silted in and oysters became common in the bay. The frequency of oysters
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Some plant remains have also been recovered from
Monagrillo, resulting in an important late discovery. Large quantities of charred plant remains were found, consisting largely of wood charcoal, but also including a few fragments of palm nuts. During the 1975 excavations, Ranereâs team searched
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Emphasizing open bowls and neckless jars, Monagrillo phase pottery is simple, somewhat crude, and poorly fired. The ceramics are monochrome. Decoration, when it occurs, generally reflects âplasticâ techniques confined to âa rather primitive-looking meander-incisingâ occasionally combined with
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Occupants of
Monagrillo relied heavily upon aquatic food sources. Shell representing âmud flat and/or sandy, shallow-water speciesâ was found in large quantities, but it âtended to occur in concentrated lenses rather than in an evenly distributed fashionâ.
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line the shore which is backed by low-lying swamps, marshes, and salt flats. Plains then encircle much of this low area and extend inland 20 to 30 km. Major river systems with wide floodplains cut through the plains and discharge into the bay.
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carefully for remains of maize, but none were found. However, it argued that the presence of cobbles with grinding edges suggests that occupants did process and consume plant foods. In 1998, Piperno and Holst reported that
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Monagrillo measures 210 m by 85 m and âconsists of two low, parallel ridges separated by a central trough." The ridges contain archaeological deposits averaging 2 m in height along the main axis.
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to have an occupation range of about 2500 BCâ1200 BC. The site is important because it provides the earliest example of ceramics in
Central America along with one of the earliest examples of
497:
Piperno, Dolores R.; Holst, Irene (1998). "The
Presence of Starch Grains on Prehistoric Stone Tools from the Humid Neotropics: Indications of Early Tuber Use and Agriculture in Panama".
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Piperno, Dolores R.; Clary, Karen H.; Cooke, Richard G.; Ranere, Anthony J.; Weiland, Doris (December 1985). "Preceramic Maize in
Central Panama: Phytolith and Pollen Evidence".
78:. Large populations of mollusks, crustaceans, and fish thrive in the bayâs modern mud flats and have done so for the past 7000 years, according to archaeological evidence.
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Findings by Ranere in 1975 support conclusions of Willey and McGimsey 23 years earlier that during initial occupation, the site was situated along the active shoreline of
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reveal little or no shaping before use. The heavy reliance in stone tools on naturally-shaped cobbles is a trait clearly surviving from the earlier and preceramic
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Ranere, Anthony J.; Hansell, Pat (1978). "Early
Subsistence Patterns Along the Pacific Coast of Central Panama". In Stark, Barbara L.; Voorhies, Barbara (eds.).
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were reliably dated to around 2500 BCE. Monagrillo pottery continues to be the oldest known pottery in Panama as well as in all of
Central America.
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culture as reported on by McGimsey in 1956. Given the presence of shell, it is surprising that there is a total absence of shell artifacts.
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sp.) were also present. While animal protein was mostly acquired through aquatic sources, deer also provided a significant amount.
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followed with major excavations in 1952. Approximately 435 sq m were excavated during the 1948 and 1952 field seasons. In 1975,
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agriculture in the region. The site lies along Panama's most fruitful seacoast. and reached a maximum living area of 1.4 ha
434:
Cooke, Richard; Ranere, Anthony J. (June 1992). "Prehistoric Human
Adaptations to the Seasonally Dry Forests of Panama".
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Coe, Michael D. (June 1960). "Archaeological
Linkages with North and South America at La Victoria, Guatemala".
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fine-meshed nets and watercraft. Recovered in the 1975 excavations were 97 mammal bones. White-tailed deer (
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excavated a 1 m by 2 m cut from the siteâs south ridge and a 2 m by 2 m cut from the north ridge.
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Ferdon (1955) reports that other artifacts, which all consist of stone, are also simple. Stone
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Prehistoric
Coastal Adaptations: The Economy and Ecology of maritime Middle America
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Ferdon, Edwin N. Jr. (December 1955). "Review: The Monagrillo Culture of Panama".
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Rands, Robert L. (January 1956). "Review: The Monagrillo Culture of Panama".
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The shallow, silt-filled Parita Bay is forms the northwest corner of the
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recently recovered âfrom just beneath the surfaceâ contained maize and
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The site lies along or very near the modern shoreline of
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51:, on the Pacific side of Panama near the base of the
181:are crude percussion flaked specimens, while their
67:on a strip of land that juts into what is today a
212:) accounted for 70% of the mammal remains, while
543:. New York: Academic Press, Inc. pp. 43â59.
261:were not recovered from Monagrillo. However, an
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86:Nearby archaeological sites include
63:. It sits 1.5 km south of the
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595:Former populated places in Panama
499:Journal of Archaeological Science
153:) or in the foothills (such as
55:. It is 5 km northeast of
590:Archaeological sites in Panama
1:
490:10.1525/aa.1985.87.4.02a00090
469:10.1525/aa.1955.57.6.02a00510
448:10.1080/00438243.1992.9980197
427:10.1525/aa.1960.62.3.02a00010
19:(also known as He-5) is an
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203:again surpassed that of
161:Ceramics and Stone Tools
155:La Cueva de los Ladrones
31:that have been shown by
478:American Anthropologist
457:American Anthropologist
415:American Anthropologist
335:Ranere and Hansell 1978
511:10.1006/jasc.1997.0258
400:Piperno and Holst 1998
349:Cooke and Ranere 1992
92:Cueva de los Ladrones
43:Setting in Parita Bay
562: /
291:Piperno et al. 1985
226:Dasyprocta punctata
131:Charles R. McGimsey
123:Matthew W. Stirling
118:History of Research
21:archaeological site
566:7.9934°N 80.4444°W
520:American Antiquity
269:grains resembling
263:edge-ground cobble
33:radiocarbon dating
436:World Archaeology
230:cottontail rabbit
151:Aguadulce Shelter
135:Anthony J. Ranere
96:Aguadulce Shelter
59:, the capital of
23:in south-central
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605:Herrera Province
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127:Gordon R. Willey
110:Site Description
61:Herrera Province
53:Azuero Peninsula
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248:Floral remains
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141:Interpretation
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65:Parita River
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569: /
526:: 319â320.
505:: 767â776.
484:: 871â878.
442:: 114â133.
421:: 363â393.
391:Ferdon 1955
584:Categories
557:80°26âČ40âłW
407:References
365:Rands 1956
255:phytoliths
236:sp.), and
210:Odocoileus
147:Parita Bay
49:Parita Bay
17:Monagrillo
554:7°59âČ36âłN
238:armadillo
234:Sivilagus
80:Mangroves
69:salt flat
463:: 1334.
379:Coe 1960
179:scrapers
175:choppers
168:ceramics
104:Sarigual
29:ceramics
242:Dayspus
200:Oysters
100:Zapotal
271:manioc
267:starch
259:pollen
222:agouti
102:, and
57:Chitré
25:Panama
277:Notes
205:clams
37:maize
27:with
257:and
177:and
129:and
528:doi
507:doi
486:doi
465:doi
444:doi
423:doi
228:),
220:),
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