Geolocation of unpublished archaeological sites in the Peruvian Amazon

Spatial distribution data of cultural sites from the Paleolithic to Bronze Age in Xinjiang, China

The published map recording cultural sites in Xinjiang shows that there is a lack of data collection on the distribution of sites in the area, and no relevant data sets have been released. Existing written materials indicate that there are more cultural sites in this area. For this reason, we have collected and sorted out information. Our cultural site database provides the geographic location and corresponding geographic environment of each site in Xinjiang from the Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. The data record the human development and settlement process, settlement environment landscape characteristics, scale, type, quantity, and spatial distribution in Xinjiang in prehistoric China. These data not only are the basis for further understanding the spatial distribution of prehistoric humans in Xinjiang, but also provide references for understanding prehistoric human behavior and prehistoric man-land relationship, and the exchange of eastern and western civilizations. It is of great significance to modern social planning, site protection, and resource utilization.

Geolocation of unpublished archaeological sites in the Peruvian Amazon

Published maps identifying archaeological sites in the Amazon basin show a paucity of sites in western Amazonia compared to the Brazilian Amazon. Whereas fewer than two dozen are identified for the Peruvian Amazon on basin-wide maps, a thorough review of unpublished archival material held by the Ministry of Culture of Peru and other sources revealed more than 400 known but unpublished sites in the Department of Loreto, challenging the notion that the region was sparsely occupied in prehistory. Our database provides the geolocation of each site and corresponding references for use by scientists seeking to better understand regional Pre-Columbian human occupation and settlement, cultural change, resource use and their landscape legacies. These data are foundational not only to the development of a richer understanding of prehistory and historical ecology of the Amazon basin but importantly for informing current land use, forest conservation and development policies as well as initiatives to support indigenous land and cultural rights in Amazonia.

Measurement(s)	archaeological site • geographic location
Technology Type(s)	digital curation
Sample Characteristic - Location	Amazon Basin

Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.16750639