Conviviality and the Life of Soil

Datos Bibliográficos

ID5776979
AutoresMichael Given (0000-0002-4450-381X, University of Glasgow, autor de correspondencia)
Año2017
Volumen28
Número1
Páginas127-143
Fecha de publicación2017-09-11
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCambridge Archaeological Journal (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0959-7743 • E-ISSN: 1474-0540
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0959774317000609
OpenAlexW2605639697
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas21
Referencias citadas23

Soils provide a striking demonstration of conviviality, thanks to the intensity and abundance of lively interaction seething within them. Soils constitute and generate life precisely through the symbiotic interaction, collaboration and competition of an enormous range of partners. Engaging with some specific soils in central Cyprus demonstrates how this conviviality works. Soil-places are created by very precise combinations of soil players, both non-human and human. Humans can join these partners in helping the soil to grow, through constructions of check dams to catch sediments and moisture. They can use soil to construct houses, demonstrating deep local knowledge and close partnership with the soils, and often recognizing the conviviality that provides a foundation for their lives in the landscape. As our soils today are catastrophically degraded and lost, the need to engage with the conviviality of soil is all the more urgent

Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Earth Systems and Cosmic Evolution · Marine and environmental studies