Scientific Department

Abstract
The geographical setting of the Southern Caribbean made this region play an active role in the unfolding of historical trajectories relating to the movement of people, goods and ideas between the South American continent and the insular Caribbean. In this chapter, we discuss current knowledge on the causes, dynamics and timing of the processes involved in the transition from Archaic Age gatherer-fisher-hunter economies to horticulture-based farming in the Southern Caribbean. We present geo-environmental background information as well as offer a brief overview of the earliest signatures of human presence in this study region. From such a longue durée perspective, we focus on particular case studies and explore the different processes of transition to horticulture in the region and their timing. This paper not only provides astonishing results of sophisticated technologies, but it also pinpoints persistent gaps in our knowledge of the southern Caribbean. Finally, we propose some avenues for future research.