Exploring Prehistoric Perceptions of "Nature": Can We Go Beyond Economic Human-Environment Interactions?

Archaeology has witnessed a theoretical fluorescence of ‘ecological’ approaches (i.e. HBE, Niche Construction, Historical Ecology) resulting in Human-Environment interactions as a common research theme. Western culture traditionally makes a clear distinction between nature and culture but this is not typical of world-views amongst pre-industrial societies. Past perceptions of human relationships with nature are essential for understanding the impact prehistoric societies had on their environments. Here we aim to push theoretical boundaries, to ask how we can understand prehistoric perceptions of ‘nature’. Using varied regions and data sets, can we move beyond the more common essential economic discussions and probe our evidence to gain meaningful insights regarding how people in the past understood their place in ‘nature’. While prehistoric art is often employed towards this question, ecological data sets are usually not. But, could the materials which made the dwellings, the resources that formed the basis of food-ways, and the ecological ‘footprint’ of past societies also provide similar insights? It is with this perspective in mind that we wish to explore human perceptions of nature through interdisciplinary studies. This collaboration could be key to interpreting our ecological and archaeological data sets towards a greater understanding of human behaviour.