Historical Ecologies, Heterarchies and Transtemporal Landscapes

Description

Interlacing varied approaches within Historical Ecology, this volume offers new routes to researching and understanding human–environmental interactions and the heterarchical power relations that shape both socioecological change and resilience over time. Historical Ecology draws from archaeology, archival research, ethnography, the humanities and the biophysical sciences to merge the history of the Earth’s biophysical system with the history of humanity. Considering landscape as the spatial manifestation of the relations between humans and their environments through time, the authors in this volume examine the multi-directional power dynamics that have shaped settlement, agrarian, monumental and ritual landscapes through the long-term field projects they have pursued around the globe. Examining both biocultural stability and change through the longue durée in different regions, these essays highlight intersectionality and counterpoised power flows to demonstrate that alongside and in spite of hierarchical ideologies, the daily life of power is heterarchical. Knowledge of transtemporal human–environmental relationships is necessary for strategizing socioecological resilience. Historical Ecology shows how the past can be useful to the future. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of contents List of Contributors Foreword Historical Ecologies, heterarchies and transtemporal landscapes: Introductory perspectives References Part I Ideologies and applications of Historical Ecology and Heterarchy 1 Dialectic in Historical Ecology Historical Ecology in perspective Dialectical method Case studies in France and Florida: a brief summary Dialectic vs. other approaches Assumptions Structuration Phenomenology Relational approaches Conclusion Notes References 2 Historical Ecology and longitudinal research strategies around Lake Mývatn, Iceland Acknowledgments References 3 Gender, feminism and heterarchy Heterarchy and diversity in gender roles Intersectionality Disrupting archaeology A case study: heterarchy, gender and craft specialization Returning to disruption Acknowledgments Notes References 4 “Can you hear me now?” Heterarchy as an instrument and outcome of collective action in Iron Age and Medieval Europe A long debate Continuing threads A brief history of “Voice” and the origins of theories on political collectivity Braided ideas The continuum effect Finding voice: heterarchy and collective action in the archaeological record Textual sources Toponymic sources Hear me now! Oratory as artifact of voice Archaeological indicators A case study from the long Iron Age—the rise and fall and rise of voice Historic traces But still…why? References Part II Identifying resilience 5 Reconstructing African landscape Historical Ecologies: An integrative approach for managing biocultural heritage Great Zimbabwe hinterland Settlement trajectories and resource use Landscape management Lower Limpopo valley Adaptabilities Landscape management and heritage Elephant ivory trade over the longue durée Ecological consequences and environmental narratives Concluding discussion Acknowledgments Note References 6 Resilience of agrarian land use practices in Burgundy, France: Evolving approaches to Historical Ecology Overview of research area Methodological considerations Agrarian land use practices in Burgundy Grain Cattle Vines Forests Ponds Synthesis of agrarian land use practices in Burgundy Conclusion: moving Historical Ecology from interdisciplinary to transdisciplinary objectives Acknowledgments References 7 Resilience, heterarchy and the Native American cultural landscapes of the Yazoo Basin and the Mississippi River Delta The Yazoo Basin in northwestern Mississippi The Mississippi River Delta in Louisiana Conclusions Acknowledgments Notes References Part III Social, settlement and territorial dynamics of the European Iron Age 8 Mapping British and Irish hillforts Towards the Atlas Capturing diversity in the database Landscape prominence Scale of enclosing works Size of enclosed area Outcomes Conclusions Note Acknowledgements References 9 Humanizing the western Cantabrian Mountains in northwestern Iberia: A diachronic perspective on the exploitation of the uplands during Late Prehistory Aims The Cantabrian Mountains Mesolithic and Neolithic: the earliest anthropogenic impact in the uplands Bronze Age: mining and the expansion of agrarian economy Iron Age and the sedentarization of local communities The breath of the mountains throughout late prehistory References 10 The end of Iron Age societies in northwestern Iberia: Egalitarianism, heterarchy and hierarchy in contexts of interaction1 Centralization, agglomeration, coalescence, complexity and social change New forms of communalism: large castros during the Republican Late Iron Age Hierarchical trends inside a “third space” Final remarks Note References 11 Iron Age societies at work: Towns, kinship and territory in historical analogy Social models and analogies in Iron Age studies Late Iron Age networks: aggregations, assemblies and towns The “town and land” community of medieval Soria: a useful analogy for Late Iron Age societies? Conclusion Acknowledgments Note References Part IV Ritual landscapes and monumentality 12 Empires of stone, politics of shadow: The Historical Ecology and political economy of mortuary monuments in Mongolia (1500 bc–1400 ad) Monuments of the Mongolian Late Bronze and Early Iron Age (1500–209 bc) Xiongnu period monuments (209 bc–200 ad) Turk period monuments (550–830 ad) Mongol period monuments (1200–1400 ad) and discussion Note References 13 A Landscape of Ancestors: Looking back and thinking forward Landscape of Ancestors: Tumulus 17 “Unwrapping” the Early Iron Age grave The embodiment of mortuary place and landscape Conclusion References 14 Civic-ceremonial transition at Lambityeco, Oaxaca, Mexico Lambityeco: archaeological background New perspectives on Lambityeco’s civic-ceremonial core Change during Lambityeco’s Late Classic occupation Conceptual implications References 15 Sacred wells across the Longue Durée Spring sacrality Sacred springs and holy wells as archaeologically-resistant sites Holy wells as archaeological sites in Ireland Connected sacred landscapes Archaeology of sacred waters Acknowledgments Notes References Afterword: Integrating time and space in dynamic systems Heterarchy New views on the commons Human societies as Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) References Index