T01/S01 Methods and Theories in Paleoenvironment and Human Adaptation during the Pleistocene and Holocene Epochs in Africa
Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Organisers: Chiamaka Mangut, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Columbia University, NY, lca2146@columbia.edu, chiamakanyanwu01@gmail.com
Alemseged Beldados Aleho, Department of Archaeology and Tourism Studies, Addis Ababa University, alemseged.beldados@aau.edu.et, beldadosalemseged@gmail.com
Human resilience and adaptation in past environments are among the most important topics in human history and are becoming central to major archaeological investigations around the world. This session aims to explore innovative methodologies and theoretical frameworks used to reconstruct past environments and understand human adaptation dynamics across Africa during the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. We welcome contributions that employ diverse approaches, including but not limited to isotopic analysis, sedimentology, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology and ethnographic studies. Papers focusing on technological advancements, interdisciplinary collaborations, and novel interpretations of archaeological and environmental data are particularly encouraged.
This session provides a platform for researchers to share their findings, discuss methodological challenges, and engage in fruitful dialogue about the complex interactions between humans and their environments throughout Africa’s prehistory and historic periods.
We invite submissions from scholars at all career stages, including graduate students and early career researchers. We look forward to a stimulating and insightful session that advances our understanding of past environments and human adaptation in Africa.
T01/S02 Of People & Trees: New Directions in Anthracology and the Archaeological History of Human-woodlands Interactions
Format: Paper presentations and alternatives, with roundtable discussion
Organisers: Chae Byrne, Project Manager/Archaeobotanist, University of Western Australia, Australia, chae.byrne@uwa.edu.au
Isabelle Thery-Parisot, Directrice de recherche au CNRS, Directrice du CEPAM, Université Nice Côte d’Azur, France, isabelle.thery@cnrs.fr
Emilie Dotte-Sarout, Social Sciences, Archaeology, University of Western Australia, Australia, emilie.dotte@uwa.edu.au
Anthracology, the analysis of archaeological wood charcoal macro-remains, has experienced an exponential growth over the last 10 years, especially via the multiplication of new applications around the world, including in Australia and the Indo-Pacific region.
These new works, and the continuous development of methodological and theoretical principles, are offering unique perspectives on the deep-time history of co-adaptations and relationships between humans, trees and woodlands. Anthracology can reveal how people used and related to fire, how they managed woody resources for fuel, but also how they transformed woodlands, moved through the landscape and accessed other resources offered by trees in general.
It is now becoming increasingly clear that fire was the very first natural element domesticated by humans, and that wooden artefacts as well as fruits and nuts have been a much more important part of material culture and alimentation than what has been assumed. In short, trees and woodlands have been fundamental elements throughout human history, but we are only starting to pay attention, thanks to improved field recovery methods and analytical approaches – and that includes a better integration of Indigenous perspectives and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in our work.
We call for papers presenting new methods, applications or theoretical perspectives and ethnoarcheobotanical approaches in anthracology; we hope to raise awareness for the potential of anthracology in archaeology around the world and in the Indo-Pacific region.
T01/S03 Pleistocene Hominin Landscapes in Asia
Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Organisers: Dr Anubhav Preet Kaur, Centre for Interdisciplinary Archaeological Research, Ashoka University, India, anubhavpreetk@gmail.com
Dr Shashi B. Mehra, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, The MSU Baroda, India, mehrashashi15@gmail.com
Dr Vivek Singh, Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv University, Israel, vivekghlwt@gmail.com
The Plio-Pleistocene interval (last ca. 5.3 million years) is marked by a shift from stable-warm periods in the Pliocene to a more variable, colder climate in the Pleistocene, characterised by weakened monsoons and an overall increase in aridity. During the Pleistocene, the climate oscillated between wetter and drier conditions, with evidence of stepwise increases in climate variability and aridity at approximately 2.8 Ma, 1.7 Ma, and 1.0 Ma. Additionally, a prolongation of climatic oscillations between glacial and interglacial cycles occurred after ~1.4 Ma, a phase known as the Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition. These climatic changes triggered significant vegetation shifts and turnover in large herbivore communities which had profound impacts on human evolution, dispersal, and adaptation. This session invites papers and posters focusing on understanding the dynamics between regional ecological change/variability and hominin adaptations during the Pleistocene across Asia. By examining past ecological changes and their impact on hominin populations we can better understand how humans have demonstrated continuity, resilience, and transformation in response to climate fluctuations and ecological change. This session aims to bring together research concerning palaeolithic transitions, prehistoric land-use patterns, faunal turnovers, and palaeoclimate transitions throughout the Pleistocene in Asia to develop a robust understanding of the human-animal-environment interface.
T01/S04 Postglacial Palaeoenvironment and Human Adaptation Strategies in South America
Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Organisers: Mario A. Rivera, ICAHM-ICOMOS, La Serena, Chile, marivera41@gmail.com
Cesar Mendez, Estudios Aplicados, Escuela de Antropología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile, cesar.mendezm@uc.cl
Rafael A. Goni, Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, rafaelagustingoni@gmail.com
For some decades now, there has been a widespread interest in understanding past human occupations framed within the environments they inhabited. What was previously a line of research developed only by a few researchers in South America is now a central concern in most regional archaeological endeavours. The importance given to understanding the interaction between humans and the environment has received a boost, resulting in the development of methodologies that critically address the data sets for establishing such relationships. The definition of analytical scales, the collection of original data, the comparison between environmental and human archives and the focus on the scope and limitations of the results are some of the fields of discussion in environmental archaeology. Besides, from this perspective we derive the possibility of archaeology (and the archaeological record) contributing to the understanding of past climate changes and human answers to such changes, as well as the effects of human action over the inhabited spaces. This session aims to exemplify ways in which research teams have sought comprehensively to resolve questions related to the relationship between human beings and the environment throughout South America, particularly the behaviours in situations of change and the consequences of human imprints over the environment at different spatial scales and without time restrictions.
T01/S05 Synchronicity or Causation? Exploring Deep-time Human-Climate-Environment Legacies in South Asia
Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Organisers: Dr Prachi Virag Sontakke, Dept of Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, prachivs@bhu.ac.in
Dr Shantanu Vaidya, Deccan College and Post Graduate Research Institute, Pune, India, shantanu.vaidya@dcpune.ac.in
Gopesh Jha, Dept of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany & Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Germany, gjha@gea.mpg.de
Climate change has long been recognised as a crucial catalyst for biological evolution and cultural advancements in human history. While its significance in shaping our species’ adaptability and ingenuity is acknowledged, a deeper understanding of the how, what, when, and why remains elusive. Current models of human-climate-environment interplay in archaeological contexts often lead to oversimplistic ideas of environmental determinism, failing to capture the nuanced reality. The highly diverse and mosaic environments of South Asia present a particularly complicated story of these relationships. The region’s long archaeological record attests to its persistent attraction for human occupation, with evidence suggesting the presence of stable habitats or climatic refugia that provided ecological and cultural continuity, even during extreme events such as the ~74ka Toba super-eruption and the Younger Dryas.
This session’s key objectives are to understand the diverse scenarios of human-climate-environment interplay in South Asia and to test the nature and level of synchronicity among these processes. We will examine diverse case studies using various proxies to paint a regional picture of human ecology and environment. The session will concentrate on comprehensive studies that utilise archaeological, scientific, epigraphic and literary evidence to explore how ancient cultures perceived, recorded, and interacted with their environment.
T01/S06 Archaeology, Climate Change, and Ethnography: Possibilities, Paradoxes, and Shifting Paradigms
Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Organisers: Dr Buddharashmi Mani, Director General, National Museum, New Delhi & Vice Chancellor Indian Institute of Heritage (IIH), Noida, India, brmani@hotmail.com
Dr Rajiv Nigam, CSIR Emeritus Scientist, Former chief scientist (Dy Director) and Head (Geology, Marine Archaeology), National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, India, rajivnigam1954@gmail.com
Tishyarakshita Nagarkar, Senior Associate and Editor (Project Ethnography of 45 Tribes of Maharashtra and Assisting Faculty (Historical and Anthropological Archaeology), Dept of Anthropology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, India, bhargav.tishya@gmail.com
Archaeology today stands at the fascinating intersection of science and the humanities, delving into the depths of human civilisation, while providing valuable perspectives on present-day challenges and possibilities for the future. It enhances our comprehension of human development, social interactions, and collective cultural principles, serving as an essential connection in the modern, interconnected landscape. Archaeology and ethnography together give us important information about how resilient and adaptable people have been throughout history and across different cultures. This is especially useful as we deal with the complicated problems that climate change brings. Throughout history, humanity has responded to environmental shifts with resilience and strategy. Archaeological findings, along with ethnographic research, reveal how ancient societies adjusted to various changes, providing insights for modern climate discussions. This collaborative method deepens our insight into human techniques, adaptability, and problems, offering a guide for enduring practices. Contemporary archaeology has evolved significantly with the introduction of cutting-edge technologies, branching out into areas such as urban archaeology, archaeological anthropology, and applied archaeology. These advancements have transformed our ability to interpret human history and its ongoing narrative, while connecting with communities that preserve ancient customs. Advanced techniques and digital enhancements now safeguard both physical and cultural legacies, unveiling fresh avenues for exploration. Nonetheless, these developments present ethical and interpretive dilemmas, requiring a transformative shift towards collaborative methodologies. Archaeology should engage with the complexities of power relations in historical accounts, representation, and the interplay of various cultural legacies. Aligning with the WAC 2025 objective to promote research and inclusivity, inviting scholars to delve into new trends in archaeology, climate change, and ethnography, this multidisciplinary session seeks to blend ethnographic viewpoints on adaptation with archaeological understandings of cultural environments, highlighting resilience and sustainability amid global environmental challenges towards humanity and its heritage.
Proposal Submission: Presenters have the option to submit an individual paper abstract or collaborate with others for shared authorship. Every person is allowed to submit just a single paper for review. This WAC 2025 policy guarantees a wide array of contributions, providing an equal chance for every participant to showcase their work. We invite authors to thoughtfully reflect on their most significant and influential work for submission.
T01/S07 Frozen Heights: Recent Advances in High-Altitude Archaeology
Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Organisers: Amy Mosig Way, University of Sydney, Australia, amy.way@sydney.edu.au
High-altitude mountain landscapes present unique challenges and opportunities for human populations. This session invites papers exploring recent archaeological research on human adaptation to upper mountain environments across diverse geographic and temporal contexts. We particularly encourage submissions that:
· Showcase innovative archaeological methods developed for, or applied to, high-altitude research, such as remote sensing, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and cultural material analyses.
· Highlight community-based and collaborative research projects with local communities, emphasising the integration of traditional knowledge and archaeological practice.
· Explore diverse themes related to human-environment interactions in high-altitude zones, including subsistence strategies, technological innovations, mobility patterns, ritual practices, and resilience in the face of environmental change.
This session aims to foster a dynamic exchange of knowledge and perspectives on high-altitude archaeology.
T01/S08 Palaeolandscapes and People in Australian Deserts
Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Organisers: Gwen Ferguson, Archaeology, Flinders University, Australia, Gwen.Ferguson@Flinders.edu.au
Ian Moffat, Archaeology, Flinders University, Australia, Ian.Moffat@Flinders.edu.au
Peter Veth, Archaeology, School of Social Sciences, University of Western Australia., Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures, Peter.Veth@uwa.edu.au
Australia is the driest inhabited continent. with 70% of its land mass classified as arid or semi-arid. The landforms of the 10 Australian deserts are highly diverse and include ranges, dune fields, gibber plains and rocky plateaux. Recent research within these landforms on paleoclimate and human mobility patterns has shown that the arid interior was potentially more conducive to habitation during the late Pleistocene than conditions today. In the last decade archaeological research in desert regions has produced evidence of occupation of 50–45,000 years. Despite these significant findings there are many challenges remaining in conducting desert archaeology in Australia today.
Historically, the focus of archaeological studies in Australia has been the coastal fringes, hinterlands and inlands of the tropical and temperate zones. The limitations of investigation in the arid zone are due, in part, to the large size and inaccessibility of many areas in the interior. As a result, the archaeological record in Australia still lacks a detailed understanding of how people occupied ‘marginal’ environments of the arid zone and how peoples’ habitation patterns responded to the changing climate of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene.
These issues are now being rapidly addressed by novel landscape and archaeological techniques. Remote sensing technology, ground survey of very remote areas, modelling, sub-surface imaging, luminescence dating, geochemistry and finer-scaled environmental records in site catchments are a few of the techniques being used to address these gaps in desert archaeology in Australia today.
This session will look at critical questions in Australian desert archaeology today and discuss how these new approaches might contribute to solutions and address these questions. In addition, the session will examine new possibilities and problems that may emerge in the next era of Australian desert archaeology.