Session: #92

Regular session

Critical reassessment of established theoretical conceptions of island social and cultural evolution, in association with new archaeological discoveries around the globe, have resulted in a new understanding of human interactions with the sea, ecological niche creation and adaptive responses, especially during climatically challenging times. On many islands and neighbouring coastlines research on the full extent of this unique human ecological plasticity as well as the web of interconnections between environment, climate and the organisation of the social landscape of early prehistoric societies have provided remarkable new evidence in recent years.
This session aims to critically explore the question of marginality and border-crossing across varied seascapes and coastscapes, and invites case studies drawn from, particularly, but not limited to, the Mediterranean. We invite contributions from various sources – archaeology, remote sensing, geomorphology, material analysis – that help build better insight into human prehistory, from the Palaeolithic to the Middle Bronze Age, on presumed marginal landscapes and adaptive responses to new, coastal environments, especially during episodes of climatic fluctuations. We particularly welcome presentations on human interaction with maritime environments and of areas located on the periphery of what are archaeologically considered mainstream cultural processes. We aim at improving our understanding of the capacity of early prehistoric societies to engage and thrive on presumed inhospitable landscapes in challenging times of climate change.

marginality, insularity, adaptation, connectivity, coasts, extreme environments

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Theodora Moutsiou (Cyprus) ¹

Sergios Menelaou (Greece) ²
Christian Reepmeyer (Germany) ³