[aroid-l] The First Aroiders
- Subject: [aroid-l] The First Aroiders
- From: Al Wootten a*@nrao.edu
- Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 16:02:23 -0400
Fellow modern aroiders,
Last night I was reading the 2003 Jul 11 issue of Science, wherein I found
an interesting article (pp. 189-193). In it, the Australian researchers cite
evidence that Colocasia esculenta was cultivated in New Guinea about 7000 years
ago. Clearly, these folks must have been among the first, if not the first,
aroiders. The article is:
"Origins of Agriculture at Kuk Swamp in the Highlands of New Guinea"
T. P. Denham, S. G. Haberle, C. Lentfer, R. Fullagar, J. Field, M. Therin,
N. Porch, and B. Winsborough
From the Abstract:
" Clearance of lower montane rainforests began in the early Holocene, with
modification to grassland at 6950 to 6440 cal yr Before Present.
Taro (Colocasia esculenta)
was utilized in the early Holocene, and bananas (Musa spp.) were intensively
cultivated by at least 6950 to 6440 cal yr B.P."
Clear skies,
Al
+---------------------------------------------------------+
|Al Wootten, Slacktide, Sturgeon Creek at the Rappahannock|
|Astronomer (http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/) |
|genealogy homepage http://members.tripod.com/~astral |
|Deltaville, Virginia (804)776-6369 |
+---------------------------------------------------------+
