The burning footprint of fire in the human-landscape interaction
Thu
2
May
Thursday 2 May, 2024at 15:00 - 17:00
Online in Zoom
The Research Seminar Series in Archaeology and Environmental archaeology invites you to a seminar with Dr. Sara Saeidi, State Office for Cultural Heritage Beden-Württemberg, Germany, "The burning footprint of fire in the human-landscape interaction: examples from the Middle East to Central Europe across Millennia".
Abstract:
Comprehending how human activities have influenced and shaped natural environments is essential for understanding sustainability and human-environmental adaptations. The human impact on the environment exhibits a non-homogenous pattern influenced by various factors, including geographical and historical contexts also socioeconomic developments. Fire, both as a land management tool in human hands and as a natural element, has also played a significant role in shaping past ecosystems and landscapes. In the Holocene evidence of the burning episodes and fire events, both naturally and anthropogenic, is preserved in various archives, including lake sediments, peat, soil profiles, and tree rings, offering insights into landscape dynamics.
In this presentation, I will discuss the findings of multidisciplinary studies integrating palaeoecology, history, and archaeology. Through the analysis of diverse proxies such as pollen and charcoal from different archives, I will showcase different examples from the prehistoric southeastern corner of the Fertile Crescent and the medieval northern alpine forelands to highlight the complex interactions among human, fire, and landscape.
The Research Seminar Series in Archaeology and Environmental Archaeology presents and discusses current research in archaeology and environmental archaeology. See more upcoming seminars in the series
