Environmental archaeology is the study of human-environmental interactions, and the science of reconstructing past environments and the relationships between past societies and the environments they lived in. The relationship between humans and the environment is an ongoing concern for politicians, environmental activists, scientists, the public, and people who make their living from the earth. Are humans over-using the earth’s resources, or damaging the environment to the point of global catastrophe? One of the strengths of archaeology is the ability to study how humans have transformed the environment, and how environments have in turn altered human societies, over thousands of years. This course introduces the concepts and methods used in environmental archaeology; gives students an informed understanding of the paleoenvironment as a context for archaeological research; and addresses the integration of environmental data with archaeological and anthropological questions. Topics will include archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology, palaeoclimatology, chronology, biomarkers, and theories for interpreting human environmental interactions (e.g., Cultural Ecology, Historical Ecology, resiliency, and behavioral archaeology).
- Lecturer: Roderick Byron Salisbury
- Enrolled students: 3