The Archaeology of Mediterranean Landscapes : Human-Environment Interaction From the Neolithic to the Roman Period

"This volume presents a comprehensive review of palaeoenvironmental evidence and its incorporation with landscape archaeology from across the Mediterranean. A fundamental aim of this book is to bridge the intellectual and methodological gaps between those with a background in archaeology and ancient history, and those who work in the palaeoenvironmental sciences. The aim of this volume is twofold: first, to provide archaeologists and landscape historians with a comprehensive overview of recent palaeoenvironmental research across the Mediterranean, and second, to consider ways in which this type of research can be integrated with what might be considered 'mainstream' or 'cultural' archaeology. This volume takes a thematic approach, assessing the ways in which environmental evidence is employed in different landscape types, from coastal zones via rivers and wetlands to islands and mountainous areas. This volume also presents analyses of how people have interacted with soils and vegetation, and revisits the key questions of human culpability in the creation of so-called degraded landscapes in the Mediterranean. It covers chronological periods from the Early Neolithic to the end of the Roman period"-- Back cover Cover The Archaeology of Mediterranean Landscapes Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgements 1 Introduction Mediterraneanism Frameworks for the Assessment of Human–Environment Engagements Environmental Knowledge and Cultural ­Ecologies 2 From Geology to Biology Fundamental Geological and Biological Characteristics Basic Climatic and Biogeographical Characteristics Tectonics and the Creation and Destruction of ­Niches Hellenistic and Roman Catastrophes Tectonic Legacies 3 Sea-Level Change and Coastal Settlement – Human Engagements with Littoral Environments Introduction Characterising the Mediterranean Maritime Processes Coastal Processes Examples of Mediterranean Coastal Change Higher-Energy Events Pre- and Proto-Historic Coastal Exploitation Coastal Exploitation: The Development of Ports and Harbours (Bronze Age Onwards) Early Ports and Harbours Classical Coasts and Harbours Controlling Permeability 4 Rivers and Wetlands Studying Mediterranean Rivers and Wetlands: Research Questions and Approaches Characteristics of Mediterranean Rivers Springs and Karst Wetlands Alluvial Geoarchaeology: People and Climate Alluvial Landscapes and Farming in Anatolia and Greece Aspects of Alluvial Archaeology in Italy Late Proto-Historic and Classical Alluvial and Hydrological Landscapes Urban Alluvial Geoarchaeology: Glanum, Rome, and Gordion Glanum Rome Gordion Environmental Knowledge in Dynamic Alluvial and Wetland Zones Human Engagements with Mediterranean Wetlands Hydromythology The Pontine Marshes: Roman ‘Relationships’ with a Wetland Wetlands and Disease Discussion: Responses to Hydrological Variability 5 Environmental Change Approaches and Research Questions The Phytological Context The Fall from Eden Landscape Change Around the Mediterranean Anthropogenic and Climatic Impact: Views from Around the Mediterranean Southern Mediterranean The Near East The Evidence for Soil Erosion Anatolia and Greece Some Anatolian Trends Variability Across Greek Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Classical Landscapes The Development of the Anthropic-Climatic Regime People and Environment in Italian Landscapes People and Environment in Southern French Landscapes People and Environment in Spanish Landscapes Variations in Vegetation Change Across Spain Late Neolithic–Bronze Age Landscapes in Spain Site Catchments in Proto-Historic Spain 6 Working and Managing Mediterranean Environments Lifeways in Mediterranean Environments Clearance, Terracing, and the Creation of the Sustainable Mediterranean Landscape The Role of Fire Agricultural and Productive Vegetation Woodland and Landscape Management (Dehesa and Other Systems) Environmental Change and Social Geoarchaeology The Sainte Victoire: Changing Patterns of Interaction with Environment The Roman Watermill at Barbegal Discussion: The Human Scale of Interaction with Past Environmental Processes 7 Islands Introduction Mediterranean Islands and Island Biogeography Colonisation of Mediterranean Islands Settlement, Economy, and Insularity Aspects of Insular Environmental and Cultural Change Malta Smaller Islands The Balearics Discussion: Are Islands Different? 8 Mountain Economies and Environmental Change Introduction: Vertical Spaces, Cyclical Time Defining Mountain Landscapes Human–Landscape Engagements Across Mediterranean Mountains Greece and Anatolia The Cretan Mountains Italy, France, and Spain (the Apennines, Alps, and Pyrenees) The Alps Southern French Alps The Pyrenees Patchy Porosity: Mediterranean Mountains and Variable Integration Conclusion 9 Conclusions – The Mediterranean Mosaic: Persistent and Incongruent Environmental Knowledge Retrodicting Human Engagement with the Landscape Revisiting Mediterranean Environmental Problems Mediterranean Landscapes: Past, Present, and Future... Bibliography Index This volume presents a comprehensive review of palaeoenvironmental evidence and its incorporation with landscape archaeology from across the Mediterranean. A fundamental aim of this book is to bridge the intellectual and methodological gaps between those with a background in archaeology and ancient history, and those who work in the palaeoenvironmental sciences. The aim of this volume is twofold: first, to provide archaeologists and landscape historians with a comprehensive overview of recent palaeoenvironmental research across the Mediterranean, and second, to consider ways in which this type of research can be integrated with what might be considered ђ́جmainstreamђ́ح or ђ́جculturalђ́ح archaeology. This volume takes a thematic approach, assessing the ways in which environmental evidence is employed in different landscape types, from coastal zones via rivers and wetlands to islands and mountainous areas. This volume also presents analyses of how people have interacted with soils and vegetation, and revisits the key questions of human culpability in the creation of so-called degraded landscapes in the Mediterranean. It covers chronological periods from the Early Neolithic to the end of the Roman period This volume presents a comprehensive review of palaeoenvironmental evidence and its incorporation with landscape archaeology from across the Mediterranean. A fundamental aim of this book is to bridge the intellectual and methodological gaps between those with a background in archaeology and ancient history, and those who work in the palaeoenvironmental sciences. The volume also aims to provide archaeologists and landscape historians with a comprehensive overview of recent palaeoenvironmental research across the Mediterranean, and also to consider ways in which this type of research can be integrated with what might be considered 'mainstream' or 'cultural' archaeology. This volume takes a thematic approach, assessing the ways in which environmental evidence is employed in different landscape types. It presents analyses of how people have interacted with soils and vegetation, and revisits the key questions of human culpability in the creation of so-called degraded landscapes in the Mediterranean. It covers chronological periods from the Early Neolithic to the end of the Roman period.