Environmental Archaeology is the study of the ecology of past human populations. No matter where we live, we impact the landscape, and the landscape impacts us. Archaeologists understand the physical environment such as landforms and climate, and the biological environment such as plants and animals, through analytical techniques used by the various sub disciplines of environmental archaeology. This includes:

Geoarchaeology

Geoarchaeology reconstructs interactions between humans and the past physical environment using geomorphology and sedimentology. Geomorphology studies the shape and origin of landscape features, while sedimentology reconstructs the history of sediment or soil deposits. Together we can identify inorganic resources such as stone, clay, and mineral deposits while reconstructing past landscape topographies to explain human settlement patterns and impact. Read more