<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Worldwide, human impact on natural landscapes has intensified since prehistoric times, and this is well documented in the global archaeological record. The period between the earliest hominids and the Industrial Revolution of the late 18-19<sup>th</sup> centuries is known as the Paleo-Anthropocene. The current study reviews key geoarchaeological, floral and faunal factors of the Paleo-Anthropocene in Israel, an area that has undergone human activities in various intensities since prehistoric times. It discusses significant human imprints on these three features in the Israeli landscape, demonstrating that its current form is almost entirely anthropogenic. Moreover, some of the past physical changes still dynamically shape Israel’s zoological, archaeological and geomorphic landscape today. It is hoped that insights from this article might aid in guiding present-day management strategies of undeveloped areas through renewal of human activity guided by traditional knowledge.</p></abstract>

Worldwide, human impact on natural landscapes has intensified since prehistoric times, and this is well documented in the global archaeological record. The period between the earliest hominids and the Industrial Revolution of the late 18-19th centuries is known as the Paleo-Anthropocene. The current study reviews key geoarchaeological, floral and faunal factors of the Paleo-Anthropocene in Israel, an area that has undergone human activities in various intensities since prehistoric times. It discusses significant human imprints on these three features in the Israeli landscape, demonstrating that its current form is almost entirely anthropogenic. Moreover, some of the past physical changes still dynamically shape Israel’s zoological, archaeological and geomorphic landscape today. It is hoped that insights from this article might aid in guiding present-day management strategies of undeveloped areas through renewal of human activity guided by traditional knowledge.

The Paleo-Anthropocene and the Genesis of the Current Landscape of Israel

Israel Heritage Department and the Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology

The Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology

Department of Geography and Environmental Development

The Department of Geography and Environment

National Natural History Collections, Faculty of Life Sciences

Journal of Landscape Ecology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"The Paleo-Anthropocene and the Genesis of the Current Landscape of Israel"}

Worldwide, human impact on natural landscapes has intensified since prehistoric times, and this is well documented in the global archaeological record. The...

The Paleo-Anthropocene and the Genesis of the Current Landscape of Israel

Published Online: Feb 06, 2018

Page range: 109 - 140

Received: Aug 12, 2017

Accepted: Nov 30, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jlecol-2017-0029

Keywords
Anthropocene, Management of Anthropogenic Landscape, Landscape History, Human and Environmental Interaction, Eco-geomorphology, Traditional Knowledge

© 2017 Oren Ackermann et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The Paleo-Anthropocene and the Genesis of the Current Landscape of Israel

Published Online: Feb 06, 2018

Page range: 109 - 140

Received: Aug 12, 2017

Accepted: Nov 30, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jlecol-2017-0029

KeywordsAnthropocene, Management of Anthropogenic Landscape, Landscape History, Human and Environmental Interaction, Eco-geomorphology, Traditional Knowledge

© 2017 Oren Ackermann et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Anthropocene, Management of Anthropogenic Landscape, Landscape History, Human and Environmental Interaction, Eco-geomorphology, Traditional Knowledge