Landscape archaeology studies the way people of the past shaped the land around them, consciously or unconsciously. In its most extreme form, shaping the environment might include moving large amounts of earth and stone to create geoglyphs or large earthworks. But humans also shape the environment by planting gardens, constructing pathways and village settlement patterns.
Landscape archaeology could almost be described as a more holistic form of archaeological study than site-specific archaeology. The science took a huge step forward with the ready availability of geographic information systems and the ability to accurately map elements of the "anthropogenic" or human-built environment. As a result, landscape archaeology has become an important element in regional archaeological studies.
A Few Recent Landscape Archaeology Studies
Each link leads to an abstract, where you can buy the article if you wish.
Bloxam, Elizabeth and Tom Heldal 2007 The industrial landscape of the Northern Faiyum Desert as a World Heritage Site: modelling the 'outstanding universal value' of third millennium bc stone quarrying in Egypt. World Archaeology 39(3):305–323.
Carballo, David M. and Thomas Pluckhahn 2007 Transportation corridors and political evolution in highland Mesoamerica: Settlement analyses incorporating GIS for northern Tlaxcala, Mexico. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 26:607–629.
Christie, Jessica J. 2008 Inka Roads, Lines, and Rock Shrines: A Discussion of the Contexts of Trail Markers. Journal of Anthropological Research 64(1):41-66.
Evans, Damian, et al. 2007 A comprehensive archaeological map of the world’s largest preindustrial settlement complex at Angkor, Cambodia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(36):14277-14282.
Fyfe, R. M., et al. 2008 Historical context and chronology of Bronze Age land enclosure on Dartmoor, UK. Journal of Archaeological Science 35(8):2250-2261.
Oates, Joan, et al. 2007 Early Mesopotamian urbanism: a new view from the north. Antiquity 81:585-600.
Ogburn, Dennis E. 2006 Assessing the level of visibility of cultural objects in past landscapes. Journal of Archaeological Science 33:405-413.
Tomaso, Matthew S. et al. 2006 Social status and landscape in a nineteenth-century planned industrial alternative community: Archaeology and geography of Feltville, New Jersey. Historical Archaeology 40(1):20-36.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
