Marchant, Robert orcid.org/0000-0001-5013-4056 (2019) Archaeological assessment reveals Earth’s early transformation through land use. Science. pp. 897-902. ISSN 0036-8075
Abstract
Environmentally transformative human use of land accelerated with the emergence of agriculture, but the extent, trajectory, and implications of these early changes are not well understood. An empirical global assessment of land use from 10,000 BP to 1850 CE reveals a planet largely transformed by hunter-gatherers, farmers and pastoralists by 3,000 years ago, significantly earlier than land-use reconstructions commonly used by Earth scientists. Synthesis of knowledge contributed by over 250 archaeologists highlighted gaps in archaeological expertise and data quality, which peaked at 2000 BP and in traditionally studied and wealthier regions. Archaeological reconstruction of global land-use history illuminates the deep roots of Earth’s transformation and challenges the emerging Anthropocene paradigm that large-scale anthropogenic global environmental change is mostly a recent phenomenon.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details. |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Environment and Geography (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 08 Aug 2019 16:20 |
Last Modified: | 25 Oct 2024 00:03 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax1192 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1126/science.aax1192 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:149480 |