HumAnE Archaeology

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "HumAnE Archaeology," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeology is benefiting from an explosion of increasingly multidisciplinary research, specifically from projects which combine human-animal-environmental (HumAnE) approaches. These projects bring together researchers who analyse large quantities of data analysed a variety of techniques to unpick and model long-term bio-cultural dynamics. These data can address present-day issues with implications for human-animal-environmental health and well-being.

Archaeologists are uniquely placed to contribute deep-time perspective on contemporary humanitarian issues, as identified in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which are not exclusively modern phenomenon. Investigating the impact of increasingly intensive husbandry regimes and associated environmental responses, including not only the intensification of food production, but effects from urbanisation, globalisation, climate change, disease transmission and inter-cultural conflict are relevant for today and for understanding the past.

This interdisciplinary data can be collated, considered, and presented to address these modern global challenges, and inform policy and mitigation strategies using a suite of interdisciplinary analytical approaches, including traditional (zoo)archaeological methods, biomolecular analyses, and environmental studies. This session welcomes papers that demonstrate how studying the diverse inter-relationships between humans, animals and the environment it’s possible to obtain a more nuanced appreciation of past societies and inform on the lives and habitats of those in the present.