Using the Deep-Time of Archaeology to Understand the Interface of Human and Environmental Health

Our understanding of the dynamics and stability of human systems cannot be uncoupled from their environmental contexts. While most work on coupled natural-human systems focuses on modern systems, there is an enormous amount of anthropological and archaeological knowledge that can deeply inform, enhance and transform our understanding of socio-ecological dynamics and sustainability. Work on past systems where we know the system's trajectory can provide a powerful framework for addressing socio-ecological resilience, stability, and robustness in response to natural and human perturbations and change. In this paper we use the deep time of the archaeological record in conjunction with modern ethnographic work to address the intersection of environmental health and human health. We highlight work recreating human-centered food webs and assess traditional roles of humans within environments and ecosystems. Using these datasets we demonstrate how modern approaches, such as agent-based modeling and trophic network modeling, can shed light on the complex human-environment-health intersections of the past and offer that these approaches can help calibrate our understanding of our place in the global ecosystem in the present and into the future.