The Archaeology and Historical Ecology of Small Scale Economies - by Victor D Thompson & James C Waggoner (Paperback)

About the Book

An examination of the variety of small-scale economies across a variety of geographical and temporal locations, specifically of the degree to which they modified the landscape.

Book Synopsis

Most research into humans' impact on the environment has focused on large-scale societies; a corollary assumption has been that small scale economies are sustainable and in harmony with nature. The contributors to this volume challenge this notion, revealing how such communities shaped their environment--and not always in a positive way.
Offering case studies from around the world--from Brazil to Japan, Denmark to the Rocky Mountains--the chapters empirically demonstrate the substantial transformations of the surrounding landscape made by hunter-gatherer and limited horticultural societies. Summarizing previous research as well as presenting new data, this book shows that the environmental impact and legacy of societies are not always proportional their size.
Understanding that our species leaves a footprint wherever it has been leads to both a better understanding of our prehistoric past and to deeper implications for our future relationship to the world around us.

Contributors: Victor D. Thompson James C. Waggoner Jr William Balée Nicholas H. Beale Paulo DeBlasis Chester B. DePratter Paul R. Fish Suzanne K. Fish Maria Dulce Gaspar Patricia A. Gilman Junko Habu Mark E. Hall Tristram R. Kidder Nicky Milner Steven C. Pennings Torben C. Rick Elizabeth M. Toney John A. Turck María Nieves Zedeño

From the Back Cover

"An important book that brings together a global set of in-depth studies of small scale hunter-gatherer and horticultural societies and explores the myriad of ways people shape and manage their landscapes. Perhaps most important, this volume shows how archaeological data are relevant to our understanding of modern human-environment relationships."--Matthew Hill Jr., University of Iowa

"Demonstrates what should have been intuitively understood long ago, that groups of humans did not just interact with their environment but shaped it."--Brad Logan, Kansas State University

Understanding that our species leaves an ecological footprint wherever it has been leads to both a better understanding of our prehistoric past and to deeper implications for our future relationship with the world around us. Most research into humans' impact on the environment has focused on large-scale societies; a corollary assumption has been that small-scale economies are sustainable and in harmony with nature. The contributors to this volume challenge this notion, revealing how such communities shaped their environment--and not always in a positive way.

Offering case studies from around the world--from Brazil to Japan, Denmark to the Rocky Mountains--the chapters empirically demonstrate the substantial transformations of the surrounding landscape made by hunter-gatherer and limited horticultural societies. Summarizing previous research as well as presenting new data, this book shows that the environmental impact and legacy of societies are not always proportional to their size.

Victor D. Thompson is assistant professor at the University of Georgia. James C. Waggoner Jr. (1971-2009) conducted archaeological research in the southeastern United States.

Review Quotes

"An excellent contribution. . . . It offers a unique perspective on the range of historical ecological studies and the future direction of the discipline."--Journal of Anthropological Research "The editors focus on exactly how human‒environment processes are disentangled which, they argue, is the key to addressing broader issues. . . . A valuable addition to the practice of historical ecology."--Cambridge Archaeological Journal "A very important collection. . . . The disciplined study of small-scale societies is a valuable framework that tests notions of environmental determinism, and will revise theories about human resilience, cultural development, and the 'sense of place' of premodern peoples."--Geoarchaeology "Through a well-selected range of case studies, this volume will appeal to those searching for examples of the application of the historical ecology approach in a wide range of places and time periods, or looking for new ways to analyze their data."--Archaeological Review from Cambridge "Highly recommended."--North American Archaeologist

About the Author

Victor D. Thompson is assistant professor at the University of Georgia. James C. Waggoner Jr. (1971-2009) conducted archaeological research in the southeastern United States.