Satellite-based remote sensing rapidly reveals extensive record of Holocene coastal settlement on Madagascar

Despite decades of archaeological research, roughly 75% of Madagascar's land area remains archaeologically unexplored and the oldest sites on the island are difficult to locate, as they contain the ephemeral remains of mobile hunter/forager campsites. The known archaeological record is therefore biased toward later sites, especially sites dating to the second millennium AD, following the expansion of Indian Ocean trading networks. Systematic archaeological investigations are required to address these biases in the known archaeological record and clarify the island's early human history, but funding limitations, logistical and time constraints in surveying large areas and a relatively small number of active field archaeologists present substantial barriers to expansive areal survey coverage. Using theoretical models derived from human behavioral ecology (i.e., ideal free distribution, optimal foraging theory) in conjunction with freely available remote sensing data, we illustrate how archaeological survey of Madagascar's landscapes can be rapidly expanded, more effectively target early archaeological deposits, and address questions about the island's settlement. This study illustrates the potential for theoretically-driven satellite-based remote sensing analysis to improve our understanding of the archaeological record of the world's fourth largest island.

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Work Title Satellite-based remote sensing rapidly reveals extensive record of Holocene coastal settlement on Madagascar
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Dylan Davis
  2. Kristina Douglass
Keyword
  1. Settlement patterns
  2. Ideal free distribution
  3. Madagascar
  4. Human behavioral ecology
  5. GIS
  6. Predictive modeling
  7. Remote sensing
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Elsevier
Publication Date 2020
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2020.105097
Geographic Area
  1. Africa
Deposited January 25, 2021

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Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Updated Keyword, Geographic Area, Publisher Identifier (DOI), and 1 more Show Changes
    Keyword
    • Settlement patterns, Ideal free distribution
    • Settlement patterns, Ideal free distribution, Madagascar, Human behavioral ecology, GIS, Predictive modeling, Remote sensing
    Geographic Area
    • Africa
    Publisher Identifier (DOI)
    • 10.1016/j.jas.2020.105097
    Description
    • Despite decades of archaeological research, roughly 75% of Madagascar's land area remains archaeologically unexplored and the oldest sites on the island are difficult to locate, as they contain the ephemeral remains of mobile hunter/forager campsites. The known archaeological record is therefore biased toward later sites, especially sites dating to the second millennium AD, following the expansion of Indian Ocean trading networks. Systematic archaeological investigations are required to address these biases in the known archaeological record and clarify the island's early human history, but funding limitations, logistical and time constraints in surveying large areas and a relatively small number of active field archaeologists present substantial barriers to expansive areal survey coverage. Using theoretical models derived from human behavioral ecology (i.e., ideal free distribution, optimal foraging theory) in conjunction with freely available remote sensing data, we illustrate how archaeological survey of Madagascar's landscapes can be rapidly expanded, more effectively target early archaeological deposits, and address questions about the island's settlement. This study illustrates the potential for theoretically-driven satellite-based remote sensing analysis to improve our understanding of the archaeological record of the world's fourth largest island.
  • Added Creator Dylan Davis
  • Added Creator Kristina Douglass
  • Added Davis_etal_2020_JAS.pdf
  • Added Davis_etal_JAS_PrePrint_2019.pdf
  • Updated Publication Date, License Show Changes
    Publication Date
    • 2020-2
    • 2020
    License
    • https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/
  • Deleted Davis_etal_JAS_PrePrint_2019.pdf
  • Deleted Davis_etal_2020_JAS.pdf
  • Added Davis_etal_JAS_Accepted_Version.pdf
  • Published
  • Updated
  • Updated

Version 2
published

  • Created
  • Updated Publisher Identifier (DOI), Related URLs Show Changes
    Publisher Identifier (DOI)
    • 10.1016/j.jas.2020.105097
    • 10.1016
    Related URLs
    • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2020.105097
  • Published
  • Updated
  • Updated Publisher Identifier (DOI), Related URLs Show Changes
    Publisher Identifier (DOI)
    • 10.1016
    • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2020.105097
    Related URLs
    • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2020.105097
  • Updated