Archaeology and agriculture: plants, people, and past land-use

As a specialised branch of archaeology requiring specific field and laboratory methodologies, the contributions of archaeobotany have often been overlooked by the ecological research community. Developments in the fields of botany, chemistry, and ancient DNA analyses have greatly increased the potential for archaeobotany to contribute to topical questions relating to the Anthropocene and landscape transformations. We review the role of archaeobotany in identifying and describing past arable land use. Analytical techniques are illustrated with examples at both local and regional scales, demonstrating how archaeobotany can provide unique details of the wide array of past subsistence and land-use strategies. These data and their potential should be better recognised as important information that could underpin models seeking to evaluate or predict the effects of socioenvironmental interactions.

Automated summary

Archaeobotany, a specialized branch of archaeology, has been overlooked by the ecological research community but holds great potential in contributing to understanding questions related to the Anthropocene and landscape transformations. The field uses various analytical techniques to identify and describe past arable land use at local and regional scales, providing unique details of past subsistence and land-use strategies. Recognizing the importance of archaeobotanical data can help in evaluating or predicting the effects of socioenvironmental interactions.