Historical socioecological transformations in the global tropics as an Anthropocene analogue.

ABSTRACT: Large, low-density settlements of the tropical world disintegrated during the first and second millennia of the CE. This phenomenon, which occurred in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Mesoamerica, is strongly associated with climate variability and extensive landscape transformation. These profound social transformations in the tropical world have been popularized as "collapse," yet archaeological evidence suggests a more complex and nuanced story characterized by persistence, adaptation, and resilience at the local and regional scales. The resulting tension between ideas of climate-driven collapse and evidence for diverse social responses challenges our understanding of long-term resilience and vulnerability to environmental change in the global tropics. Here, we compare the archetypal urb

SUBMITTER: Penny D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8501767 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature