The Archaeology of Mediterranean Landscapes

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.1. Introduction; 2. From geology to biology: defining the Mediterranean; 3. Sea level change and coastal settlement: human engagements with littoral environments; 4. Rivers and wetlands; 5. Environmental change: degradation and resilience; 6. Working and managing Mediterranean environments; 7. Islands: biogeography, settlement, and interaction; 8. Mountain economies and environmental change; 9. Conclusions: the Mediterranean mosaic: persistent and incongruent environmental knowledge.