Ancient Fields for Future Harvests

Archaeology provides unparalleled long-term insights into the interactions between humans, ecosystems, and subsistence systems, yet its potential to contribute to contemporary debates on sustainable agriculture remains underexploited, constrained by conceptual and disciplinary divides between archaeology, agricultural research, and practice. 

This workshop seeks to bridge these divides by bringing together scholars from archaeology, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, geochemistry, palaeoecology, genetics, crop physiology, agroecology, and agricultural anthropology—particularly those working at disciplinary intersections or engaged with the practical challenges of applying knowledge in agroecological contexts and integrating diverse traditions of expertise.

Through thematic sessions, the participants will examine how archaeological and historical ecological datasets can inform contemporary approaches to ecological intensification, food sovereignty, and agroecosystem resilience. The workshop will foster the development of shared methodological and conceptual frameworks to enhance the applicability of long-term perspectives to current sustainability challenges.

Organizers

Maria Ivanova-Bieg, Sayuri Kochi and Phoebe Heddell-Stevens (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)

Questions AncientfieldsMainz@gmail.com