Ministry of education of azerbaijan republic western caspian university

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OF AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC WESTERN CASPIAN UNIVERSITY

Specialt: History science
Name of the discipline: Archaeometry
Group: 131 T(ing)
Student: Mammadova Aysel
Lecturer: Aslan Gasimov

INDIVIDUAL WORK
on topic
Environmental archaeology


(topic name)


Introduction
Environmental archaeology is the study of past human economy and environment using earth and life sciences . It tells us about ecological, cultural, economic, and climate change . Archaeological sites are created by human activity involving material culture (acquisition, manufacture, use, deposition) . Archaeological sites and landscapes are altered by a combination of natural and cultural processes . Natural processes include geological and biological activity, such as erosion, sedimentation, frost heave, reworking by plants and animals, plant growth, deposition of dead plants and animals, and degradation by living ones . Cultural processes include subsistence and ritual activities, building, discarding or loss of material, manufacturing and the creation of manufacturing waste, recycling, deliberate destruction and resource utilisation. Environmental archaeology is a diverse subject concerned, broadly, with the human ecology of the past and encompassing the study of a wide range of biological and geological materials. This brief review aims to: set out the aims and scope of environmental archaeology; outline some of the key methods and applications employed; and present case studies on the different scale and integration of such methods. There has been debate in the academic literature over the definition of environmental archaeology. In part this has been due to a conflation of definitions based on the aims of the studies and the methods of the studies, and whether it is the methods used which define the discipline, or the aims of the studies. The techniques of the discipline are the analysis and interpretation of biota (animal and plant remains) within the depositional environment of the archaeological site and its surrounds (sediments and soils). In the study of biota, we are in a sense talking about „ecofacts‟, although these can themselves be made into „artifacts‟ (e.g. animal long bones have been used for knife handles), and may themselves also act as sedimentary particles. The aims of the discipline are to advance understanding of the human ecology of the past. As K.D. Thomas has written, this seeks to understand the relationship between past human populations and their physical, biological and socio-economic environment. Environmental archaeology as a mature discipline in its own right is a relatively recent development, however, its roots lie articulated with the development of other ideas and disciplines including, in particular, understanding of stratigraphy (18th century), the antiquity of humans and early archaeology (19th century), vertebrate comparative anatomy (19th century), evolution (19th century), ecology (early 20th century), and molecular biology (later 20th century). Environmental archaeology encompasses a range of overlapping and interconnected sub-disciplines. Those covered below are geoarchaeology (the study of soils, sediments and geomorphological features), zooarchaeology (the study of animal remains), and archaeobotany (the study of plant remains). The study of human remains is not covered; while this is sometimes considered within the remit of environmental archaeology, it is to a large extent a discipline of its own (and space does not allow discussion of it here). Other disciplines that will be touched on below are those of the rapidly expanding biomolecular fields of DNA research and stable isotope studies - again, disciplines in their own right, but increasingly offering insights into past human-animal, human-plant and plant-animal relationships. The Environmental Archaeology stream explores the role of environmental archaeology in the understanding of past human societies. Recovery of evidence of biological remains and their soil matrix is nowadays typically a key part of archaeological investigation, both on- and off-site. Critical evaluation of the possibilities and limitations of the evidence recovered is important for the subject to play its full role in the analysis and interpretation of human activity in relationship to the environment. Environmental archaeology can be roughly divided into geoarchaeology and bioarchaeology. "Environment" in geoarchaeology refers to the geographical environment. It borrows the concepts and research methods of topography, geology, pedology, geography and so on. "Environment" in bioarchaeology refers to the natural environment. It borrows the concepts and research methods of botany, zoology, anthropology and so on. The type of research employed in environmental archaeology is generically referred to as "natural scientific analysis." As the fields of research used in environmental archaeology become more diversified, archaeologists must conduct joint research together with experts in various types of natural scientific analysis. It also demandsthat the respective resultsresearch be generalized. It isimportant for those involved in archaeological excavation to have a clear sense of purpose, and they need to have the necessary knowledge and must be prepared in order to employ environmental archaeology properly. Vague introduction of environmental archaeology without a clear objective must be avoided.
The history of the discipline is considered as a basis of its development into a core aspect of present-day archaeology. Focus is given to both the methods used to study the interplay between past economies and environments and the theoretical framework that interpretation requires.