Towards a science of archaeoecology

Area of Science:

• Interdisciplinary science integrating archaeology and ecology.
• Focuses on past human-ecosystem dynamics.

Background:

• Understanding long-term human impact on ecosystems is crucial.
• Existing fields like environmental archaeology and paleoecology highlight the value of interdisciplinary approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To formally define and establish archaeoecology as a distinct field of research.
• To provide a framework for studying human-ecosystem interactions over the past ~60,000 years.
• To integrate archaeological and ecological data for a comprehensive understanding of past environmental changes.

Main Methods:

• Synthesizing existing research at the intersection of archaeology and ecology.
• Developing a theoretical framework that explicitly combines methodologies from both disciplines.
• Analyzing archaeological, environmental, and ecological datasets to reconstruct past human-ecosystem dynamics.

Main Results:

• Proposes archaeoecology as a cohesive field of study.
• Demonstrates the utility of integrating diverse data types (archaeological, environmental, ecological).
• Highlights the potential for archaeoecology to illuminate past human influences on ecosystems.

Conclusions:

• Archaeoecology offers a vital perspective for understanding the trajectory of human-ecosystem interactions.
• This field provides a clear intellectual context for future research on human environmental impacts.
• Establishing archaeoecology will enhance our comprehension of humanity's role within ecosystems, past, present, and future.