Pastoral Territoriality as a Dynamic Coupled Human-Natural System

Summary

Despite research indicating that contemporary pastoral societies are more dynamic than previously assumed, there is a tendency to view South Arabian pastoralists as timeless heirs of a stable, ancient system or along a historical continuum of response to exogenous factors like the development of civilization, introduction of camels, or global climate change. In research triggered by NGS support, we proposal a new conceptual model for pastoral mobility regulated by dynamic feedback loops in human-natural systems. Inspired by archaeological data showing pulses in monument construction and settlement—indicators of territorial behavior—we argue that pastoral ecosystems are non-linear and cycle between more open and more closed regimes while grazing land cycles between more and less productive states due to changes in population and cover. We report new research using archaeology, paleoecology and agent-based modelling that will integrate model simulations with empirical records for a better understanding of pastoral mobility over 7000 years in Southern Arabia.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21435