Articles & book chapters by Felix Riede
Past-Forwarding Ancient Calamities. Pathways for Making Archaeology Relevant in Disaster Risk Reduction Research
Despite the alleged mastery of humans over nature, contemporary societies are acutely vulnerable ... more Despite the alleged mastery of humans over nature, contemporary societies are acutely vulnerable to natural hazards. In interaction with vulnerable communities, these transform into catastrophes. In a deep historical perspective, human communities of many different kinds have been affected by numerous kinds of natural disasters that may provide useful data for scenario-based risk reduction measures vis-à-vis future calamities. The low frequency of high magnitude hazards necessitates a deep time perspective for understanding both the natural and human dimensions of such events in an evidence-based manner. This paper focusses on the eruption of the Laacher See volcano in western Germany about 13,000 years ago as an example of such a rare, but potentially highly devastating event. It merges Lee Clarke’s sociological argument for also thinking about such very rare events in disaster planning and David Staley’s notion of thinking historically about the future in order to ‘past-forward’ such information on past constellations of vulnerability and resilience. ‘Past-forwarding’ is here intended to signal the use of such deep historical information in concerns for contemporary and future resilience. This paper outlines two pathways for making archaeological information on past extreme environmental events relevant in disaster risk reduction: First, the combination of information from the geosciences and the humanities holds the potential to transform ancient hazards from matters of fact to matters of concern and, hence, to more effectively raise awareness of the issues concerned. Second, in addition to information on past calamities feeding into preparatory scenarios, I argue that the well-established outreach channels available to the humanities (museums, in particular) provide powerful platforms for communication to multiple publics.
A critical reassessment of cultural taxonomies in the Central European Late Palaeolithic
In the analysis of archaeological relationships and processes, a uniform classification of the da... more In the analysis of archaeological relationships and processes, a uniform classification of the dataset is a fundamental requirement. To achieve this, a standardised taxonomic system, as well as consistent and valid criteria for the grouping of sites and assemblages, must be used. The Central European Late Palaeolithic (ca. 12,000–9700 cal BC) has a long research history and many regionally and temporally specific units—groups and cultures—are recognised. In this paper, we examine the complex taxonomic landscape of this period and critically analyse the use of typological, functional and economic criteria in the definition of selected groups. We subject three different archaeological taxonomic units, the Bromme culture from Denmark, the Fürstein group from Switzerland and the Atzenhof group from Germany, to particularly detailed scrutiny and highlight that the classificatory criteria used in their definition are inconsistent across units and most likely unsuitable for circumscribing past sociocultural units. We suggest a comprehensive re-examination of the overarching taxonomic system for the Late Palaeolithic, as well as a re-evaluation of the methodologies used to delineate sociocultural units in the Palaeolithic.
Large tanged points are known from several Final Palaeolithic technocomplexes in Europe. In diffe... more Large tanged points are known from several Final Palaeolithic technocomplexes in Europe. In different regions, they are known by different labels (e.g. Bromme points, Lyngby points, and Teyjat points) and are often given culturally and hence chronologically diagnostic status as important fossiles directeurs, especially in northern Europe. The vast majority of these finds are from the surface or derive from less-than-secure contexts. Several recent papers have cast doubt on the validity of this artefact class as a taxonomically sensitive marker. Here, we further investigate this issue using 2D geometric morphometric techniques on a sample of published large tanged points from several key sites in northern Europe. This analysis reveals a substantial amount of shape variation within this artefact class and finds no support for distinctions between large tanged points derived from different cultural and/or chronological contexts. Our analysis thus strongly supports the notion that large tanged points do not function as useful culturally diagnostic marker artefacts. The earliest occurrences of Final Palaeolithic large tanged points date to late GS-2 or GI-1e (~15,000–14,000 cal BP), alongside arch-backed points. Their presence in later assemblages and technocomplexes such as the Brommean cannot therefore be considered as a derived or diagnostic feature. We suggest that this artefact class should rather be linked to weapon systems function (dart-points) different from the coeval arch-backed points (arrowheads) and that definitions of cultures based on these should thus be taken up for critical revision.
Environmental catastrophes represent profound challenges faced by societies today. Numerous schol... more Environmental catastrophes represent profound challenges faced by societies today. Numerous scholars in the climate sciences and the humanities have argued for a greater ethical engagement with these pressing issues. At the same time, several disciplines concerned with hazards are moving towards formalized ethical codes or promises that not only guide the dissemination of data but oblige scientists to relate to fundamentally political issues. This article couples a survey of the recent environmental ethics literature with two case studies of how past natural hazards have affected vulnerable societies in Europe’s prehistory. We ask whether cases of past calamities and their societal effects should play a greater role in public debates and whether archaeologists working with past environmental hazards should be more outspoken in their ethical considerations. We offer no firm answers, but suggest that archaeologists engage with debates in human–environment relations at this interface between politics, public affairs and science.
Past Vulnerability. Volcanic eruptions and human vulnerability in traditional societies past and present, Dec 2015
Around 13,000 years ago the Laacher See volcano, located in present-day western Germany, erupted ... more Around 13,000 years ago the Laacher See volcano, located in present-day western Germany, erupted catastrophically. This large and highly explosive eruption led to the deposition of fallout tephra over large parts of Central Europe. In addition, ejecta from the eruption dammed up the nearby River Rhine. The resultant lake flooded the low-lying landscapes nearby, and dam collapse during or shortly after the eruption sent flood-waves far downstream. Interestingly, the archaeological record of this period documents a variety of responses to this event along the proximal-to-distant transect, where the affected forager groups also would have varied in their specific economic strategies and their connectedness within contemporaneous bio-social networks. Disaster scientists working in recent settings fall into two broad schools: The ‘dominant’ approach that forefronts the physical properties of the hazardous event, and the ‘radical’ approach that focuses more on the political and ecological/economic constellations of the affected communities. This chapter reviews the effects of the Laacher See eruption on flora, fauna, and human foragers from ‘dominant’ and ‘radical’ perspectives inspired by the risk reduction research frameworks. In particular, it attempts to use the Laacher See event to reflect on why the affected hunter-gatherer communities in different parts of Europe were or were not vulnerable to such an environmental challenge. The main theme developed here is that mechanistic, i.e. dominant, explanations fall short of capturing the causes and temporalities of culture change set into motion by the Laacher See eruption. In addition, it shows that the most pronounced changes brought about by this eruption happened not in areas directly affected by the eruption of its fallout, but rather in an area isolated by it.
Past Vulnerability. Volcanic eruptions and human vulnerability in traditional societies past and present, Dec 2015
Humans have a long relationship with volcanoes, volcanic eruptions and the landscapes they produc... more Humans have a long relationship with volcanoes, volcanic eruptions and the landscapes they produce. At times this relationship has been calamitous and human communities, societies, civilisations even have been subject to volcanic disasters. Formally, disasters can be defined as the result of the interaction of one or several hazards with human communities, resulting in loss of lives and/or livelihoods. This brief introduction frames the rationale for this volume. Whilst the individual chapters in this book aptly reflect the geological and societal specificities of the volcanic eruptions and the affected societies in question as well as the source material and approaches that can be used to study them, the aim of this book is also to highlight similarities and thus to facilitate comparison. In particular, this volume aims to distinguish itself from others that address past calamities by a dual focus: On the one hand it focuses on volcanic eruptions and their effects, and, on the other, it focuses on what these events can reveal of socio-ecological vulnerabilities that make the affected societies susceptible to harm in the first place.
Investigation of an in-filled lake basin in Schünsmoor, Ldkr. Rotenburg (Wümme), northern German... more Investigation of an in-filled lake basin in Schünsmoor, Ldkr. Rotenburg (Wümme), northern Germany, reveals the discovery of ‘cryptotephra’ (non-visible volcanic ash) in biogenic sediments dating to the Late-glacial and early Holocene periods (c.15.4 - 7.5 ka cal BP). Major element geochemistry of glass shards shows the tephra originates in Iceland from the Katla volcanic system. However, uncertainties in the bio-stratigraphic position and dating of the tephra in Schünsmoor mean it is not clear if more than a single tephra is present nor is it possible to correlate confidently to previously documented eruptions. Three potentially relevant correlates are identified: the Vedde Ash (c.12.1 ka cal BP), an eruption documented from many regions of Europe that dates from the Younger Dryas sub-stage; the Abernethy Forest AF555 tephra, previously identified in Scotland with a age of 11.79 - 11.20 ka cal BP; and the c. 8.0 ka cal BP Suðuroy Tephra, first observed in the Faroe Isles. Future tephrostratigraphic investigations may ultimately resolve the ambiguities identified in Schünsmoor, thereby allowing the tephra record to be placed in a wider European context.
Jeg hilser den åbne debat af senglacialtidens kulturforhold i Sydskandinavien velkommen og benytt... more Jeg hilser den åbne debat af senglacialtidens kulturforhold i Sydskandinavien velkommen og benytter lejligheden til at knytte et par kommentarer til Kristoffer Buck Pedersens respons på mit oprindelige indlæg.
Lateglacial and postglacial pioneers in northern Europe, 2014
Lateglacial and postglacial pioneers in northern Europe (BAR IS 2599), 2014
After being completely depopulated during much of the Late Pleistocene, southern Scandinavia agai... more After being completely depopulated during much of the Late Pleistocene, southern Scandinavia again became part of the human world around the middle of the 15th millennium before present (BP). The reindeer-hunters of the Hamburgian culture are associated with this first pioneer re-colonisation pulse, but there has been considerable debate about the particular kind of economic and mobility strategies practiced by these groups, and their cultural and biological relationship with the succeeding techno-complex in the region, the so-called Federmesser-Gruppen, remains controversial. This chapter presents a series of formal exploratory analyses addressing the culture-historical status of the pioneering techno-complexes in southern Scandinavia, their dating and possible mobility strategies. The results of these analyses suggest that the historically informative differences between the material culture of the Hamburgian and the Federmesser-Gruppen are so pronounced as to imply a significant culture-historical and/or demographic conjuncture, likely centred on the brief GI-d/Older Dryas cold/dry spell. Ethnographically derived demographic models are used to frame possible mechanisms for the demographic collapse of the initial pioneering groups at this time.
Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, vol. 11, pp. 7657-7666
Around 13,000 years ago, the Laacher See volcano (East Eifel volcanic field, Rhenish Shield) erup... more Around 13,000 years ago, the Laacher See volcano (East Eifel volcanic field, Rhenish Shield) erupted cataclysmically. The thick tephra blanket in the eruption's near field covered and thereby preserved a large number of archaeological sites, ranging from very small to some of the largest and richest sites known from the Late Glacial. In this proximal region, there is a striking contrast in the number of sites prior to the eruption and the almost complete lack of sites dating to the period after the event, i.e. to Greenland Interstadial 1a. The preservative function of the tephra cover itself may explain this near-field pattern, but it is shown here that similar stratigraphic observations can also be made in the Laacher See eruption's mid field towards the west and, in particular, to the north-east. The aim of this paper is to review the stratigraphic relations of known archaeological sites outside the near field of the Laacher See event with a particular focus on the German Federal State of Hesse and adjacent areas of Lower Saxony and the Thuringian Basin. Here, a number of archaeological sites are known, where strata of Laacher See tephra cap human occupation. Most often, these sites are not reoccupied until much later in prehistory, suggesting that the eruption may have led either to a complete or a near-complete abandonment of the affected regions or, at the very least, to a major reorganisation of landscape-use.
Climate models: use archaeology record
Archaeologists and historians have long investigated societal responses to climate change (see P.... more Archaeologists and historians have long investigated societal responses to climate change (see P. Palmer and M. Smith Nature 512, 365–366; 2014). These records are an underused resource in current climate adaptation research, but offer scope for highly integrative meta-analyses that would be useful to climate scientists, science advisers and policymakers, and could provide important information for local outreach efforts. Risk-reduction researchers have pointed out that responses to climate change are a mix of contemporary industrial (technological) measures and pre-industrial (social and community-based) ones. However, the use of palaeoenvironmental data by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as a basis for drawing up future climate change scenarios is not matched by an equally sophisticated use of ‘palaeosocietal’ data for investigating human impacts and adaptive pathways. Archaeological and historical data could provide a solid evidence base for effective adaptations to climate change. Expanding the chronological scope of climate-adaptation research into deep time would vastly enlarge the database of available case studies without getting into the tricky issues of data access and legal sensitivity. In effect, this approach draws on natural experiments in history to learn from the past (see R. Van der Noort Climate Change Archaeology Oxford Univ. Press; 2013).
It is run on a non-proi t, voluntary basis by postgraduate research students at the University of... more It is run on a non-proi t, voluntary basis by postgraduate research students at the University of Cambridge. Although primarily rooted in archaeological theory and practice, ARC increasingly invites a range of perspectives with the aim of establishing a strong, interdisciplinary journal which will be of interest in a range of i elds.
It is widely recognised that natural disasters emerge in the interplay between extreme geophysica... more It is widely recognised that natural disasters emerge in the interplay between extreme geophysical events and the human communities affected by them. Whilst detailed natural scientific knowledge of a given event is critical in understanding its impacts, an equally thorough understanding of the affected communities, their economies, ecologies, religious structures, and how all of these have developed over time is arguably as important. Many extreme events leave methodologically convenient traces in the geological and archaeological records in the form of discrete stratigraphic layers often associated with both accurate and precise dates. This paper focuses on volcanic eruptions and draws on matched case studies to illustrate the usefulness of a two-step, quasi case-control comparative method for examining vulnerability and impacts in the near-and far-fields of these eruptions. Although issues of data resolution often plague the study of past disasters, these limitations are counterbalanced by the access to unique long-term information on societies and their material expressions of livelihood, as well as a similarly long-term perspective on the critical magnitude/frequency relationship of the geophysical trigger(s) in question. By drawing together aspects of contemporary Disaster Risk Reduction research, archaeology, and volcanology, this paper sketches out a methodological roadmap for a science of past disasters that aims to be relevant for not only understanding vulnerabilities and impacts in the deep past, but for also better understanding vulnerability in the present.
The resettlement of northern Europe
Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Hunter-Gatherers, Apr 2014
The ecological tolerances ofNeandertals, their ability to subsist in the dense forests of full in... more The ecological tolerances ofNeandertals, their ability to subsist in the dense forests of full interglacials, and their capacity to colonize northern latitudes are the subject of ongoing debate. The site of Hollerup (northern Denmark) lies at the northern extreme of the Neandertal range. Dated by various techniques to the Eemian interglacial (MIS 5e), this site has yielded the remains of several purportedly butchered fallow deer (Dama dama). Taphonomic reanalysis of the remains from Hollerup and a handful of other Eemian-aged fallow deer skeletons cast doubt on the interpretation that they were humanly modified.We place this revised conclusion into the wider context of human settlement of southern Scandinavia during the Eemian. Other claims of Neandertal presence in the region rest on candidate Middle Paleolithic artifacts, all of which derive from surface contexts. With the fallow deer material removed as a secure indicator of Neandertal settlement of Denmark during the last interglacial, this lithic material must be viewed with renewed skepticism. While ecological and/or topographic factors may have played an important role in preventing Neandertals from penetrating into peninsular Scandinavia, we caution that geological, taphonomic, research-historical, and demographic factors may have significantly distorted our picture of their occupation in this region.
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Articles & book chapters by Felix Riede
mutations, reducing its occurrence to chance or fortuitous transmission error. In introducing the special collection on children and innovation, we here place object play and play objects – especially functional miniatures – from carefully chosen archaeological contexts in a niche construction perspective. Given that play, including object play, is ubiquitous in human societies, we suggest that plaything construction, provisioning and use have, over evolutionary timescales, paid substantial selective dividends
via ontogenetic niche modification. Combining findings from cognitive science, ethology and ethnography with insights into hominin early developmental life-history, we show how play objects and object
play probably had decisive roles in the emergence of innovative capabilities. Importantly, we argue that closer attention to play objects can go some way towards addressing changes in innovation rates that occurred throughout human biocultural evolution and why innovations are observable within certain technological domains but not others.
Although evidently disturbed by the road construction that led to the site’s discovery, the material likely reflects the remains of a small Final Palaeolithic locale, where diverse activities were carried out.
Session 24: Thinking through archaeology and the environmental humanities
Titel: Environmental humanities: towards a field archaeology of the Anthropocene
Christina Vestergaard & Felix Riede
The notion of the Anthropocene in which cultural and environmental histories collapse into one another, provides a focal point for the Environmental Humanities. In light of the current discussion regarding the Anthropocene, this paper explores this new geological epoch from an archaeological – and specifically a field-archaeological – point of view. The Anthropocene has been proposed as an epoch in which humans have become the dominating force shaping global geological and ecological dynamics. At present, a lively debate runs as to the very validity and the time of onset of this ‘Age of Humans’. One of the most convincing starting points is the ‘Great Acceleration’ of the gargantuan capitalism-driven rise in fossil fuel extraction and chemical signature of human activity that began around 1950. Curiously, from an archaeological dating perspective, 1950 also marks the year 0 – the present – what follows after is the future. By this token, the product of environmental and contemporary archaeologies could indeed be classified as an ‘Archaeology of the Future’. While some archaeologists already have involved themselves in the debate regarding the onset of the Anthropocene, these contributions have rarely been based on archaeological field-work. This paper presents results of archaeological fieldwork at the former lignite mining site of Søby in central Denmark specifically designed to capture the coupled geological, ecological and cultural entanglements of the Anthropocene. The Søby locale, we argue, presents a local microcosm of a potential global future of unintended consequences, economic overexploitation and humanly induced environmental catastrophe.
Catastrophes in Context it is our pleasure to host you at an
intentionally intimate and intense symposium on the archaeological
perspectives on and contribution to understanding
calamities and their cultural aftermaths, to be held at Aarhus
University’s Moesgård Museum just outside Aarhus in Denmark
(see www.moesgaardmuseum.dk/en) and the university’s central
city campus on October 10-12, 2018, that is, just before the
UN’s International Day for Disaster Reduction on Oct 13.
We have carefully selected leading and emerging scholars
concerned with the impacts, responses and consequences of
climate change, extreme environmental events, earthquakes,
eruptions or the like on past societies globally and with widely
differing social and economic constellations. This conference is
part of a larger grant by the Danish Council for Independent
Research, which supports the Laboratory for Past Disaster
Science (projects.au.dk/lapadis/).