(Re)Constructing the Archaeology of Mobile Pastoralism: bringing the site level into long-term pastoral narratives

Introduction

CAMP investigates long-term pastoral dynamics in drylands by developing an innovative and reliable methodology to study archaeological pastoral sites. Pastoralism has been recently endorsed by the FAO as a successful strategy to achieve food security by efficiently exploiting the inherent variability in natural resources.

Background

Modern pastoral systems represent the legacy of animal domestication processes that started before the beginning of the Holocene. However, our understanding of ancient pastoralism is hampered by the lack of a proper methodology that can overcome the ephemeral evidence that characterizes pastoral sites.

Methodological Innovation

CAMP will pave the way, through methodological innovation, to a more thorough investigation of past adaptation to dryland environments. Highly controlled data on the anthropic markers for pastoral activities will be collected in pastoral ethnographic settlements. This data includes:

1. Chemical multi-element by portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF)
2. Phytoliths
3. Organic residues
4. Isotopes

These data will be analyzed to create models that will then be used to interpret the archaeological evidence.

Research Advancement

CAMP will advance research in:

a. Methods and theory in the archaeology of pastoralism
b. Anthropic activity markers and the use of pXRF in archaeology
c. Adaptive strategies in drylands

Unique Opportunity

This project is a unique opportunity to strengthen the study of pastoralism by providing a widely applicable methodology that can augment our knowledge of past human adaptation to drylands. It will also inform the design of sustainable and historically grounded development strategies for pastoral futures.

Exportability of Methodology

CAMP methodology will be potentially exportable to other archaeological sites, independently of their chronology, cultural, or geographic context. This represents an invaluable advance to archaeological methods at large.