The Holocene History of
Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence
The comprehension of the history of Human-Wildlife conflicts (HWC) has immeasurable relevance for managing the planet Earth’s biodiversity problems. The scientific works on the history of interactions between wildlife and humans have mostly been related to the most distant past of humanity (Pleistocene), while the general knowledge of HWC during the Holocene, which intensifies with the advent of farming societies is fainted by the numerous studies on the significance of domesticates for human societies.
As various archaeological and historical data point to the significant impact of wildlife on humans and the immeasurable impact of humans on wildlife especially in the Holocene, there is an urge to comprehensively investigate the HWC in the past.
ARCHAEOWILD
will provide an exclusive overview of the spatial and temporal distribution of wild animals and plants in the Holocene.
Archaeowild
Aims to study the HWC diachronically, from the Mesolithic throughout the Middle Ages within one of the most important European biodiversity hotspots – the Central Balkans. As no comprehensive research has been dedicated to the history of human-wildlife interactions in the region so far, ARCHAEOWILD will provide an exclusive overview of the spatial and temporal distribution of wild animals and plants in the Holocene.
We will also study the dynamics of regional extinctions of globally extinct mammals (aurochs and European wild ass), as well as the origin of exotic wildlife, of unknown status (fallow deer and leopards).
By the employment of a large scale of biomolecular data (aDNA and C/N isotopes), we aim to give a novel insight into the paleoecology (diet and phylogeography) of native species commonly hunted in the Holocene past (red deer and brown bear), and therefore to understand the diachronic implications of anthropogenic pressure to the environment.
The questions ARCHAEOWILD is addressing are highly relevant for understanding the human-wildlife interactions in the European past, as well as for contemporary environmental issues, conservation and management of wildlife.
Results
1. Where archaeology of wildlife and contemporary biodiversity issues meet: ARCHAEOWILD project presentation.
Vuković, S., Bulatović, J., Radišić, T., Mladenović, T., Sabanov, A., Radinović, M., Vranić, M. & Marković, D. 2022. Zooarchaeology Saves the World, An online conference, 10-31.05.2022., Cardiff, United Kingdom
2. Projekat ARCHAEOWILD: istorija sukoba i suživota ljudi i divljeg sveta u holocenu na prostoru centralnog Balkana
Marković, D., Vranić, M., Mladenović, T., Radišić, T., Radinović, M., Sabanov, A., Bulatović, J., Vuković, S. 2022. Projekat ARCHAEOWILD: istorija sukoba i suživota ljudi i divljeg sveta u holocenu na prostoru centralnog Balkana, Srpsko arheološko društvo XLV skupština i godišnji skup, 26-28.05.2022., Prokuplje, Srbija.
Work Packages
ARCHAEOZOOLOGY
Objective: to synthesize and analyze (diachronically and spatially) data of wild animal remains from the Central Balkans Holocene archaeological sites in order to explore how established social and environmental dynamics – such as the spread of agriculture deforestation, climatic changes, altitude, urbanization, and demography – could have influenced the wildlife distribution and their interaction with humans.
ARCHAEOBOTANY
Objective: to synthesize and analyze (diachronically and spatially) data of wild plant remains from the Central Balkans Holocene archaeological sites in order to understand the distribution and to trace the translocation of wild species, as well as unveil their economic, social and symbolic values through different periods to better understand the evolution of the human-wild plant relationship.
ANCIENT DNA & STABLE ISOTOPES
To study the diet and phylogeography of Holocene wild mammals using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen and mitochondrial DNA. This research aims to understand the anthropogenic impact on wildlife and paleoecology, focusing on brown bears and red deer, with additional analysis of other species like fallow deer, leopards, and aurochs.
AMS DATING
Objective: to precisely estimate the last known occurrences of species that became extinct during the Holocene, determine the precise timing of trade or import of wildlife, and narrow the dates for faunal remains from very broadly defined chronological intervals. Besides their primary goal in understanding the temporal dimension of wildlife dynamics, calibrated radiocarbon dates will make an important contribution to the chronology of Holocene sites in the Central Balkans.
TEXTUAL AND ICONOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
Objective: to synthesize and analyze ancient texts, that relate to wildlife and iconographic representations of wildlife from the Holocene sites in the Central Balkans, in order to reconstruct economic, social and symbolic aspects of human-wildlife interactions, as well as to reveal the spatial and temporal distribution of these artifacts and to determine the correlations between iconography and bioarchaeological evidence of wildlife species.
INTEGRATION AND DISSEMINATION
Objective: to integrate project results in order to deliver scientific results, as well as to raise awareness of wildlife significance in general and research of Human-Wildlife interactions in the Holocene past through the project web page, scientific lectures and papers, social networks, workshops, public lectures, and an exhibition.