Deep-time perspectives on drylands: Archaeology as a lens for understanding long-term livelihood systems and resilience.
Name
deep-time-perspectives-on-drylands-archaeology-as-a-lens-for-understanding-long-term-livelihood-systems-and-resilience.pdf
Description
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Size
576.79 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (CRC64NVME)
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Resource type
Journal article
Date published
December 10, 2025
Abstract
Drylands are still widely perceived as marginal areas, unsuitable for food production and long-term human settlement. This view, reinforced by mainstream global land use models, stands in sharp contrast with archaeological and ethnographic evidence showing that sustainable agriculture and pastoralism have long existed even in hyperarid regions. In this perspective article, we argue for the importance of applying archaeology to build a long-term narrative of land use management in drylands, highlighting the relevance of nonmechanized, resilient subsistence strategies as forms of biocultural heritage and sustainable alternatives rooted in indigenous priorities put in place over centuries. We contend that archaeology is key to shifting this narrative by documenting long-term socio-ecological adaptation in drylands. To this end, we present a range of archaeological methodologies that have helped trace techno-cultural developments in drylands, challenging persistent assumptions about the limits of human occupation and food production in arid environments.
Project(s)
Priority 5: Enhanced Partnerships
Funder
| Funder name | Awards |
European Research Council, European Union | ERC CoG 2022, CAMP-101088842 |
Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, GErmany | Humboldt Research Fellowship |
Journal title
Cambridge Prisms: Drylands
Volume
2
Article number
e17
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Place of publication
Cambridge, UK
eISSN
2976-5293
Date accepted
November 12, 2025
Official URL
Rights statement
In Copyright
Additional information
IF = none.