Complex human–environmental processes form identifiable, lasting features on the landscape that can illuminate past human behavior and human–environment interactions. We examine the anthropogenic landscape of the ancient port of Macurany, located along the middle Amazon River in Parintins, Brazil, and identify four classes of anthropogenic landscape features at the site: wharfs, middens, terra preta (dark or black earths), and cultural forests. Middens, terra preta, and cultural forests have been found at archaeological sites in regions surrounding Macurany, but wharfs have not previously been reported in Amazonian contexts predating European contact. Taken together, these features are clearly the result of anthropogenesis and represent a range of subsistence, settlement, and infrastructure-building activities pointing to an ancient society that was actively engaged in modifying the surrounding landscape for purposes beyond settlement and subsistence. Evidence for a permanent, extensive, continuously settled society practicing intensive landscape engineering in this region of Amazonia reinforces findings of dense habitation, infrastructure, and early urbanization in Amazonia prior to European contact. This research helps expand our understanding of human–environment interactions, landscape formation processes, and settlement organization in ancient Amazonia.

复杂的人类与环境过程在景观上形成了可识别的、持久的特征，可以阐明过去的人类行为和人类与环境的相互作用。我们研究了位于巴西帕林廷斯亚马逊河中游的马库拉尼古港的人类景观，并确定了该地点的四类人类景观特征：码头、坟墓、黑土（暗土或黑土）和文化景观。森林。在马库拉尼周边地区的考古遗址中已经发现了贝丘、黑土和文化森林，但在欧洲接触之前的亚马逊地区尚未发现过码头。总而言之，这些特征显然是人类发生的结果，代表了一系列生存、定居和基础设施建设活动，表明古代社会出于定居和生存之外的目的积极参与改变周围景观。亚马逊地区有一个永久的、广泛的、持续定居的社会，实行密集的景观工程，这一证据强化了在欧洲接触之前亚马逊地区的密集居住、基础设施和早期城市化的发现。这项研究有助于扩大我们对古代亚马逊流域人类与环境相互作用、景观形成过程和定居组织的理解。