The Desert is Coming: A multi-proxy approach to investigating late Holocene human/environmental dynamics in the 'oasis' margins of Central Asia

Summary

The inland alluvial fans commonly found across the deserts of Central Asia constitute regions of environmental and geomorphological transition as well as social liminality. Straddling the line between fertile, sustainable environments and adverse regions often incapable of sustaining significant human occupation, these dynamic and evolving regions are excellent case studies through which to study the dynamic processes that have characterized human/environmental relationships throughout the Holocene.

This paper examines local socio-ecological variability in one such inland delta, the Murghab delta in Turkmenistan. Due to its rich archaeological heritage, the Murghab offers an excellent research environment to examine late Holocene socio-ecological dynamics. Research suggests that human settlement and landscapes were characterized by pronounced local variability not always best described by regional approaches. Via an integrated approach that incorporates remote sensing, field survey data and geoarchaeological analysis, this paper examines local socio-ecological 'niches' in the broader context of regional palaeoclimate and paleogeography, as well as the co-development of settlement and environment in these unique oasis regions. Multiproxy analyses include Loss on Ignition, Particle Size Analysis, geochemistry and micromorphology. Via these integrated approaches, the paper highlights local geomorphological and ecological variability, and explores their association with differing patterns of occupation, land-use and exploitation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

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