Shifting Niches: Pleistocene and Holocene Human Landscapes in the Gobi and Gobi-Steppe

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Divergent Paths, Shared Histories: Examining Archaeological Trends from the Caucasus to Mongolia" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The way that landscapes are used is indicative of many aspects of human culture. Data on human land-use in the Gobi Desert maps millennia of adaptation, but the resulting picture shows that climate change is not the only factor that has played a decisive role. It is becoming increasingly clear that availability of key resources like raw material, changes in subsistence economies, and potentially even trade networks, are all contributing factors in the organization of space. Moreover, a lack of focused research on key periods has made it impossible to understand how notable economic changes – such as broad spectrum foraging and the adoption of pastoralism – became integrated into pre-existing systems. Here, I provide an overview of what is currently known about Pleistocene and Holocene land-use, present recent preliminary findings, and make suggestions about critical future research areas.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Divergent Paths, Shared Histories: Examining Archaeological Trends from the Caucasus to Mongolia

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52642