Climates, Landscapes, and Civilizations

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 198.Climates, Landscapes, and Civilizations brings together a collection of studies on the history of complex interrelationships between humans and their environment by integrating Earth science with archeology and anthropology. At a time when climate change, overpopulation, and scarcity of resources are increasingly affecting our ways of life, the lessons of the past provide multiple reference frames that are valuable for informing our future decisions and action plans. Volume highlights include discussions of multiple connotations of the Anthropocene, landscapes as a link between climate and humans, synoptic approaches to explore large-scale cultural patterns, regional studies for contextualizing cultural complexity, and environmental determinism and social theory. Straddling the fields of Earth sciences, anthropology, and archaeology and presenting research from across several continents, Climates, Landscapes, and Civilizations will appeal to a wide readership among scientists, scholars, and the public at large.

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 198.Climates, Landscapes, and Civilizations brings together a collection of studies on the history of complex interrelationships between humans and their environment by integrating Earth science with archeology and anthropology. At a time when climate change, overpopulation, and scarcity of resources are increasingly affecting our ways of life, the lessons of the past provide multiple reference frames that are valuable for informing our future decisions and action plans. Volume highlights include discussions of multiple connotations of the Anthropocene, landscapes as a link between climate and humans, synoptic approaches to explore large-scale cultural patterns, regional studies for contextualizing cultural complexity, and environmental determinism and social theory. Straddling the fields of Earth sciences, anthropology, and archaeology and presenting research from across several continents, Climates, Landscapes, and Civilizations will appeal to a wide readership among scientists, scholars, and the public at large.

PrefaceLiviu Giosan, Dorian Q. Fuller, Kathleen Nicoll, Rowan K. Fladand Peter D. Clift viiBridging a Disciplinary GapWilliam F. Ruddiman 1Section I: AmericasArguments and Evidence Against a Younger Dryas ImpactEventM. Boslough, K. Nicoll, V. Holliday, T. L. Daulton, D. MeltzerN. Pinter, A. C. Scott, T. Surovell, P. Claeys, J. Gill, F. PaquayJ. Marlon, P. Bartlein, C. Whitlock, D. Grayson, and A. J. T.Jull 13Environment and Agency in the Ancient Maya CollapseJames J. Aimers 27Rainfall Variability and the Rise and Collapse of theMississippian Chiefdoms: Evidence From a DeSoto CavernsStalagmitePaul Aharon, David Aldridge, and John Hellstrom 35Building Resilience in Island Communities: APaleotempestological PerspectiveJago Cooper 43Recent Seasonal Variations in Arid Landscape Cover and AeolianSand Mobility, Navajo Nation, Southwestern United StatesAmy E. Draut, Margaret Hiza Redsteer, and Lee Amoroso 51Section II: AsiaUtilization of Distal Tephra Records for Understanding Climaticand Environmental Consequences of the Youngest Toba TuffEmma Gatti and Clive Oppenheimer 63An Abrupt Shift in the Indian Monsoon 4000 Years AgoM. Berkelhammer, A. Sinha, L. Stott, H. Cheng, F. S. R. Pausataand K. Yoshimura 75Late Holocene Drought Pattern Over West AsiaMichael Staubwasser 89Geomorphological Constraints on the Ghaggar River Regime Duringthe Mature Harappan PeriodHideaki Maemoku, Yorinao Shitaoka, Tsuneto Nagatomo, and HiroshiYagi 97A Simulation of the Neolithic Transition in the IndusValleyCarsten Lemmen and Aurangzeb Khan 107Mid-to-Late Holocene Agricultural System Transformations in theNorthern Fertile Crescent: A Review of the ArchaeobotanicalGeoarchaeological, and Philological EvidenceSimone Riehl, Konstantin Pustovoytov, Aron Dornauer, and WaltherSallaberger 115Late Holocene Evolution of the Fuzhou Basin (Fujian, China) andthe Spread of Rice FarmingBarry V. Rolett 137Climate-Induced Changes in Population Dynamics of SiberianScythians (700-250 B.C.)Irina P. Panyushkina 145Section III: AfricaGeoarchaeological Perspectives on Holocene Climate Change as aCivilizing Factor in the Egyptian SaharaKathleen Nicoll 157Heavy Rainfalls in a Desert(ed) City: A Climate-ArchaeologicalCase Study From SudanJonas Berking, Janina Körper, Sebastian Wagner, UlrichCubasch, and Brigitta Schütt 163Section IV: EuropeThe Influence of Transgressive Paleogeography on the Developmentand Decline of Cardium Pottery Culture (MediterraneanNeolithic)A. Amorosi and A. Morelli 171A Dynamic Human Socioecology of Prehistoric and ProtohistoricUlsterTina Thurston and Gill Plunkett 177Section V: New Approaches and DiscussionsInfluences of Active Tectonism on Human Development: A Reviewand Neolithic ExampleEric R. Force and Bruce G. McFadgen 195Irragric Anthrosols--Artifacts of Human Adaptation to AridConditions: Examples From the High Himalaya and the Coastal Desertof PeruJ. Baade 203Hunter-Gatherers, Agriculturalists, and Climate: Insights From aCross-Disciplinary ReviewDaniel M. Cadzow 209AGU Category Index 217Index 219