European agricultural terraces and lynchets: from archaeological theory to heritage management

TY - JOUR

T1 - European agricultural terraces and lynchets

T2 - from archaeological theory to heritage management

AU - Brown, A.G.

AU - Walsh, Kevin James

AU - Fallu, Daniel J

AU - Cucchiaro, Sara

AU - Tarolli, Paolo

N1 - © 2021 The Author(s).

PY - 2021/3/23

Y1 - 2021/3/23

N2 - Terraces are highly productive, culturally distinctive socioecological systems. Although they form part of time/place-specific debates, terraces per se have been neglected – fields on slopes or landscape elements. We argue that this is due to mapping and dating problems, and lack of artefacts/ecofacts. However, new techniques can overcome some of these constraints, allowing us to re-engage with theoretical debates around agricultuFterrral intensification. Starting from neo-Broserupian propositions, we can engage with the sociopolitical and environmental aspects of terrace emergence, maintenance and abandonment. Non-reductionist avenues include identifying and dating different phases of development within single terrace systems, identifying a full crop-range, and other activities not generally associated with terraces (e.g. metallurgy). The proposition here is that terraces are a multi-facetted investment that includes both intensification and diversification and can occur under a range of social conditions but which constitutes a response to demographic pressure in the face to fluctuating environmental conditions.

AB - Terraces are highly productive, culturally distinctive socioecological systems. Although they form part of time/place-specific debates, terraces per se have been neglected – fields on slopes or landscape elements. We argue that this is due to mapping and dating problems, and lack of artefacts/ecofacts. However, new techniques can overcome some of these constraints, allowing us to re-engage with theoretical debates around agricultuFterrral intensification. Starting from neo-Broserupian propositions, we can engage with the sociopolitical and environmental aspects of terrace emergence, maintenance and abandonment. Non-reductionist avenues include identifying and dating different phases of development within single terrace systems, identifying a full crop-range, and other activities not generally associated with terraces (e.g. metallurgy). The proposition here is that terraces are a multi-facetted investment that includes both intensification and diversification and can occur under a range of social conditions but which constitutes a response to demographic pressure in the face to fluctuating environmental conditions.

KW - AGRICULTURAL HISTORY

KW - Geoarchaelogy, earth sciences

KW - landscape archaeology

U2 - 10.1080/00438243.2021.1891963

DO - 10.1080/00438243.2021.1891963

M3 - Article

SN - 0043-8243

VL - 52

SP - 566

EP - 588

JO - World Archaeology

JF - World Archaeology

IS - 4

ER -