Session: #330

Content:

As archaeologists, we are aware that sustainability is not a new issue for human societies. There are many examples of sustainable practices in prehistoric and protohistoric societies, ranging from agricultural methods, organizational forms and economic traditions on the large scale, to specific materials and technological innovations on the small scale. This session first of all examines a range of what archaeologists have learned about how past people created sustainable, long-term solutions to their problems. Then, where they failed. Emphases will be placed on questions such as environmental diversity, social structure, cognition, and the role of clustering in innovations and technology to name a few.

Archaeologists are able to determine which materials were used for production and which for consumption. They consider the role of capital, rent, and labor in forming investment, quality control, and technology. One needs to analyze primary, secondary and tertiary uses as well as recycling to understand the above.

Techniques applied for the physico-chemical, structural and characterization of ancient materials are based on methods used in the Material, Natural, and Engineering Sciences. Consider the use of the Life Cycle of Artefacts where the cycle begins with comparative decision trees, investment of time, labor and capital in the harvesting and extraction of resources, followed by production, marketing, consumption, recycling and ultimately waste. For archaeologists, the Life Cycle can be the bridge between innovation and sustainability and may be analyzed through information flows as well as the application of transdisciplinarity to research. Thus with this session we hope to cooperate with the actors from various fields of material natural and Engineering sciences to resolve problems that could not be solved either by single disciplinary or multidisciplinary research.

Session: #330

Theme & Session Format

Title & Content

Organisers