Graham Hancock on archaeology: what the evidence says · JRE #2215

What the evidence says 01 / RECORD

The archaeological consensus places the anthropogenic dark earth (terra preta) itself in the Late Holocene, with most deposits dated to roughly 2,500 to 500 years before present and widespread formation peaking around 1,000 years ago. The oldest figure near Hancock's number comes from Silva et al. (2021), who reported microcharcoal and mineral inputs beginning about 7,630 years ago at the Caldeirão site, arguing these predate soil management for cultivation. That ~7,600 year date reflects a contested natural-origin hypothesis, not a settled date for terra preta formation: Lombardo et al. (2022) counter that Middle Holocene charcoal is commonly stratified in Amazonian soils and that such deep, older carbon does not date when the dark earth actually formed. So about 8,000 years rounds up the oldest reported (disputed) date and presents a minority interpretation of naturally deposited carbon as if it dated the terra preta itself.