Environment and Subsistence

1
Environment and Subsistence

• Chronology and climate
• Landscape Archaeology
• Plants Environment
• Animals Environment

2
Chronology Climate

• Reconstruction on a macro-scale/global changes in
  water sources.
• Oceans
• Ice Sheets
• Coast Lines

3
Climate Past Lifeways

• Changes in climate also affected cultures.
• Major differences in ice age vs. Holocene
  populations.
• Lifeways change such as onset of settlements,
  population increase, domestication, etc.

4
Ocean

• Ocean floor sediments accumulate slowly.
• Consist of microfossils called foraminifera
  (one-celled marine organisms that live in surface
  water and sink when they die) which are
  environmentally sensitive.
• Deep sea cores show change through time in
  environment (in some cases up to 2 million years
  ago).

5
Deep Sea Cores
Coring
Split Core
http//www.ldeo.columbia.edu/CORE_REPOSITORY/RHP5c
.html
6
Ice Sheets

• Also use oxygen isotope samples from ice sheets.
• information gathered from Greenland Ice Core
  Project can be applicable to archaeology.

7
Greenland Ice Core Project
Movie clip of drill and structure.
http//www.glaciology.gfy.ku.dk/ngrip/billeder_eng
.htm
8
Coast Lines

• Change in climate affected available land.
• During last glacial maximum sea level was about
  120 meters lower than at present.
• Siberia and N. America where connected.
• British isles and mainland also connected.

9
Changes in coast lines

• http//instaar.colorado.edu/QGISL/bering_land_brid
  ge/downloads/beringlandbridge1m.mov
• 18,000 years ago, a "land bridge" emerged as sea
  level fell.

http//www.theotherside.co.uk/tm-heritage/backgrou
nd/channelform.htmmap1
10
Landscape Archaeology

• Glaciated Landscapes
• Varves
• Rivers
• Caves
• Buried Land surfaces

11
Glaciated Landscapes

• Glaciers wrought changes in northern North
  America, Europe.
• U-shaped valleys, polished rocks (petrified sea
  gardens).

http//nsidc.org/glaciers/gallery/Taku_tidewater.h
tml
http//www.petrifiedseagardens.org/main.htm
12
Varves

• Glacial phenomenon of layers of sediment around
  the edges of glacial lakes.
• Thick layers of sediment represent warm years,
  thin layers represent cold years.

13
Varves
Varves in cross-section, note alternating clay
and sandy layers knife haft 10cm
http//www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/varves
.html
14
Rivers

• Changes in the course of rivers affected
  landscape/settlement
• Nile and Tigris/Euphrates river valleys were
  areas of early domestication due to rich
  floodplains.

15
Tigris Euphrates River ValleySite of Ancient
Mesopotamia and Modern Baghdad
16
Caves

• Sediments deposited under certain
  conditions-wind, water, animals, people (i.e.
  tracking in mud).
• Soil micromorphology
• microscopic study of soil components important
  part of excavation of any site, but particularly
  cave.
• Info on source, soil formation, and human
  modified.

17
Dust Cave, Alabama
18
Buried Land surfaces

• Volcanic eruptions
• Bogs

19
Volcanic Eruptions Pompeii

• When Vesuvius erupted on 24 August 79 AD it
  engulfed the two flourishing Roman towns of
  Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as the many rich
  villas in the area.

20
Excavations 1910-1961
Excavating through ash layers
Pompeii. House of the Vettii. Paintings
http//wings.buffalo.edu/AandL/Maecenas/italy_exce
pt_rome_and_sicily/pompeii/ac880908.html
21
Pompeii-Casts of bodies
http//wings.buffalo.edu/AandL/Maecenas/italy_exce
pt_rome_and_sicily/pompeii/thumbnails_contents.htm
l
22
Plants Environment

• Microbotanical Remains
• Pollen, etc.
• Macrobotanical Remains
• Seeds, nuts, etc.
• Environmental Sensitive
• Conifers vs. Deciduous
• Grassland vs. Forests

23
Animals Environment

• Microfauna
• Mice, rodents.
• Macrofauna
• Large mammals, fish, invertebrates.
• Environmentally Sensitive
• Large bodiedcold climates, Smallwarm.
• Certain species in certain habitats.

24
Environment and Subsistence

• Environment significantly affects human
  subsistence.
• Foragers-Gather wild plants and animals.
• Resource Catchment areas
• Subsistence Variability
• Domestication
• Species domesticated
• Reason for domestication