Lessons from Lost Habitats - A Basic Understanding of Environmental Archaeology
Having spent almost a decade studying this specific sub-discipline, I think it is time to try and write a non-boring piece on the topic. I use the term ‘non-boring’ here because to most people archaeology is interesting when it involves huge monuments, conspiracy theories including aliens, or has to do with investigating the mythological/ religious scriptures! Even within the archaeological community, environmental archaeology is perceived as a ‘very-science-y’ niche and not many choose to study it. But what exactly does the term mean? How does it help archaeologists reconstruct the past? And just how science-y is it? I will try my best to simplify it. Let’s dive into it! Imagine yourself as a Neolithic human. Let’s suppose that you are looking for a place to settle down with your community - you’ve decided that you don’t want to be a hunter-gatherer anymore! You want to farm and cultivate your own food. What resources would you require in order to shift to a sedentary lifestyle? ...