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Quantifying Land Use in Past Societies from Cultural Practice and Archaeological Data

Author

Listed:
  • Ryan E. Hughes

    (Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
    ARVE Research Sàrl, 1009 Pully, Switzerland)

  • Erika Weiberg

    (Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Anton Bonnier

    (Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Martin Finné

    (Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Jed O. Kaplan

    (ARVE Research Sàrl, 1009 Pully, Switzerland
    Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
    Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK)

Abstract

Quantitative reconstructions of past land use facilitate comparisons between livelihoods in space and time. However, comparison between different types of land use strategies is challenging as land use has a multitude of expressions and intensities. The quantitative method presented here facilitates the exploration and synthetization of uneven archaeological and textual evidence from past societies. The approach quantifies the area required for habitation, agriculture, arboriculture, pasturage, and fuel supply, based on a combination of archaeological, historical, ethnographic and modern evidence from the relevant geographical region. It is designed to stimulate discussion and can be used to test a wide range of hypotheses regarding local and regional economies, ancient trade and redistribution, and the resilience and/or vulnerability of past societies to environmental change. The method also helps identify where our gaps in knowledge are in understanding past human–environment interaction, the ecological footprint of past cultures and their influence on the landscape in a transparent and quantitative manner. The present article focuses especially on the impact of dietary estimates and crop yield estimates, two main elements in calculating land use in past societies due to their uncertainty as well as their significant impact on calculations. By employing archaeological data, including botanical, zoological and isotopic evidence, alongside available textual sources, this method seeks to improve land use and land cover change models by increasing their representativeness and accuracy.

Suggested Citation

  • Ryan E. Hughes & Erika Weiberg & Anton Bonnier & Martin Finné & Jed O. Kaplan, 2018. "Quantifying Land Use in Past Societies from Cultural Practice and Archaeological Data," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-21, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:7:y:2018:i:1:p:9-:d:127180
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jed O. Kaplan & Kristen M. Krumhardt & Marie-José Gaillard & Shinya Sugita & Anna-Kari Trondman & Ralph Fyfe & Laurent Marquer & Florence Mazier & Anne Birgitte Nielsen, 2017. "Constraining the Deforestation History of Europe: Evaluation of Historical Land Use Scenarios with Pollen-Based Land Cover Reconstructions," Land, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-20, December.
    2. Moreno, Alfonso, 2007. "Feeding the Democracy: The Athenian Grain Supply in the Fifth and Fourth Centuries BC," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199228409.
    3. Enrico R Crema & Junko Habu & Kenichi Kobayashi & Marco Madella, 2016. "Summed Probability Distribution of 14C Dates Suggests Regional Divergences in the Population Dynamics of the Jomon Period in Eastern Japan," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(4), pages 1-18, April.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

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    2. Gerrit Günther & Thomas Clemen & Rainer Duttmann & Brigitta Schütt & Daniel Knitter, 2021. "Of Animal Husbandry and Food Production—A First Step towards a Modular Agent-Based Modelling Platform for Socio-Ecological Dynamics," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-25, December.
    3. Fabian Becker & Daniel Knitter & Moritz Nykamp & Brigitta Schütt, 2020. "Meta-Analysis of Geomorphodynamics in the Western Lower Bakırçay Plain (Aegean Region, Turkey)," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-29, September.
    4. Julian Laabs & Daniel Knitter, 2021. "How Much Is Enough? First Steps to a Social Ecology of the Pergamon Microregion," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-19, May.
    5. Robert T. Nyamushosho & Shadreck Chirikure & Ari Sitas & Eric N. Maṱhoho, 2022. "Modelling Land Use in The Gold Belt Territories of Iron Age Southern Zambezia," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-27, August.

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