Thinking Through Zooarchaeological Approaches to Empire and Environment

Summary

In this paper, I explore the intersection of empire and environment in imperial and post-imperial contexts using the collapse of the Hittite empire and its aftermath in central Turkey around 1200 BC as a case study. More specifically, I mobilize zooarchaeological evidence from the Hittite capital of Hattuşa and from Çadır Höyük, a rural town, in order to discuss how we might distinguish between political, economic, and climatic factors in our interpretations of the relationships between empire and environment. This analysis focuses on quantitative models commonly used by zooarchaeologists to characterize interactions between humans and the environment. Here, I use these models to facilitate synchronic and diachronic comparisons between capital and provincial town in both pre- and post-collapse contexts. At the same time, I explore the possibilities and limitations these models hold for increasing our understanding of the relationships between empire and environment.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeologies of Empire and Environment   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15354