Environmental archaeology is the study of how humans in past eras have interacted with the natural world around them. For example, what type of crops did the Mayans grow? What animals did ancient Aleuts capture for feud? What natural materials did Picts use to build their homes?

It is common for us to see archaeologists make reconstructions of grand pyramids or coliseums, to find lost and forgotten treasures, but an environmental archaeologist will focus on the most minute detail of a past human's life, down to what he threw in the garbage. To an environmental archaeologist, the most important goal is reconstructing a holistic view of our ancestors, as if they were able to see them in 3D - how they used the land, what value they placed on certain plants and animals, the ways they changed their environment and the impact their environment in turn influenced their lives, their social interactions, their culture.

Environmental archaeology is often divided into three categories:

- Zooarchaeology (study of animal remains)
- Archaeobotany (study of plant remains)
- Geoarchaeology (study of nonliving physical terrain)

(These categories are easy to remember if you ever played the car game "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral".)

Within the subcategories of environmental archaeology there are many other breakdowns of study. Archaeologists often focus on one very minute aspect of a site when doing their studies.

Learn more about this author, Wendy du Lac.
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