Activities per year
Abstract
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.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 566-588 |
Journal | World Archaeology |
Volume | 52 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 23 Mar 2021 |
Bibliographical note
© 2021 The Author(s).Keywords
- AGRICULTURAL HISTORY
- Geoarchaelogy, earth sciences
- landscape archaeology
Activities
- 1 Public lecture
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ARCHÉOLOGIE ET PAYSAGES EN MOYENNE ET HAUTE MONTAGNE DEPUIS LA PRÉHISTOIRE (Parc national des Ecrins, 05)
Walsh, K. J. (Chair) & Mocci, F. (Chair)
27 Aug 2022Activity: Talk or presentation › Public lecture
Projects
- 1 Finished
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(ERC- 2017)-ADG: TerrACE
Walsh, K. J. (Principal investigator)
1/12/18 → 31/05/24
Project: Research project (funded) › Research