Climate deterioration and subsistence economy in prehistoric Southern Iberia
An evaluation of potential links based on regional trajectories
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15552190 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Julien Schirrmacher (0000-0003-3667-3242, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, corresponding author), N J Almeida (0000-0002-3653-0850, University of Évora), Hans-Peter Stika, Hans‐peter Stika (0000-0002-6468-0346, University of Hohenheim), Mara Weinelt (0000-0001-5438-4546, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 064057-064057 |
| Publication date | 2024-05-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Research Letters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326 |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/ad4fa3 |
| OpenAlex | W4398244268 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 55 |
The potential impact of climatic deterioration on societal breakdowns in prehistory is often based on the mere coincidence of archaeological and palaeoclimatological proxies. For a more profound discussion, climate-sensitive archaeological parameters need to be identified. As agriculture and livestock are significantly affected by the recent climate crisis, the analysis of archaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains can deepen our understanding of this topic. Here, we analyze regional trajectories in subsistence and seasonal precipitation variability across southern Iberia focusing on well-known prehistoric breakdowns around 2200 and 1600 BCE. Results suggest that the ratios of the importance of sheep/goat versus swine and sheep/goat versus cattle, respectively, may serve as a proxy for prehistoric mobility. The importance of hunting deer represents a proxy for societal turnover. While no direct link is evident between climate deterioration and the archaeozoological data, archaeobotanical data reveals a potential relation to precipitation variability. In particular, a close connection to reductions in cold-season precipitation in south-east Iberia appears likely for the ratio between barley and naked wheat. The increased importance of drought-tolerant barley correlates with a trend to reduced cold-season precipitation levels after ca. 2700 BCE. We hypothesize that prehistoric people in south-east Iberia cultivated more barley in order to adapt to periods of drier cold-season climate
Agriculture · Archaeology · Climate change · Economics · Economy · Geography · Natural resource economics · Prehistory · Subsistence agriculture · Subsistence economy · Archaeological and Geological Studies · Archaeological and Historical Studies · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology · Oceanography
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| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |