Nocturnal proxies2/19/2023 ![]() ![]() Farming and urbanization threaten many archaeological sites as do sea-level rise (SLR), flooding, storm surge, erosion, and fire in addition to climate-driven human migration and development ( 12, 13). Case studies provided in this paper provide examples of archaeological environmental records, including legacy ones, that serve to correct shifting baselines ( 10, 11).Īnthropogenic and nonanthropogenic forces are destroying sources of climate data such as those noted above. event is now recognized as the boundary between the Middle and Late Holocene (International Chronostratigraphic Chart, v2019/05 ). (cal B.P.) by analyzing sediments at an archaeological site, Tell Leilan. ( 9) identified a 300-year drought in northern Mesopotamia beginning at 4200 calendar years B.P. ( 8) use lipid residues from Çatalhöyük, Turkey, as proxies for precipitation patterns across the 8.2-ky B.P. ( 7) use archaeological phytoliths and charcoal to characterize paleoclimates in central China over the last 3,000 years, and Roffet-Salque et al. ( 6) use springbok teeth from Sterkfontein and Swartkrans to assess the impact of climate-driven environmental changes on hominin evolution in South Africa, Li et al. For example, Lambrides and Weisler ( 5) use tuna remains to study El Niño variability in the Marshall Islands, Sewell et al. Archaeological sites contain records of environmental and ecological change on human timescales, thereby allowing us to reconstruct environments, identify discrete climate events over short- and medium-term scales ( 4), and relate climate to human behavior. ![]() Finally, we discuss methodologies, practices, and policies pertaining to archaeological legacy collections and support calls for discipline-wide shifts in collections management to ensure their long-term utility in multidisciplinary research and public engagement.Īrchaeological sites are underutilized and threatened sources of paleoclimate and other paleoenvironmental proxies, often with strong contextual and temporal control (a comprehensive discussion of classes of archaeological materials used for climate studies is in table S1 of ref. ![]() Such uses of legacy collections raise ethical concerns regarding ownership of and responsibility for cultural resources and highlight the importance of Indigenous involvement in planning and executing fieldwork and stewardship of cultural heritage. They also enable regional climate reconstructions at various timescales and corroborate or refine radiocarbon dates. Data from archaeological legacy collections contribute regional ecological baselines as well as serve to correct shifting baselines. Here, we 1) review obstacles to systematically using data from legacy archaeological collections, such as inconsistent or unreported field methods, inadequate records, unsatisfactory curation, and insufficient public knowledge of relevant collections 2) suggest best practices for integrating archaeological data into climate and environmental research and 3) summarize several studies to demonstrate the benefits and challenges of using legacy collections as archives of local and regional environmental proxies. In the face of this loss, previously excavated collections from these sites-referred to as legacy collections-offer a source of climate and other paleoenvironmental information that may no longer exist elsewhere. Anthropogenic and nonanthropogenic forces have destroyed many sites, and others are under immediate threat. Archaeological sites are paleoenvironmental archives containing unique ecological baselines with data on paleoclimate transformations at a human timescale. ![]() Understanding the causes and consequences of previous climate changes is essential for testing present-day climate models and projections. ![]()
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