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The Middle to Late Holocene spread of agropastoralism throughout Eurasia not only subjected domesticated taxa to stressors associated with novel environments but also induced changes in these environments following the introduction of these social-ecological systems. The mountainous region of Inner Asia comprises various steppe, meadow, and forest landscapes where zooarchaeological evidence suggests occupation by herding populations as early as 7,000 years Before Present (BP). Recent archaeobotanical findings indicate the introduction of cropping and the development of agropastoralism around 4,500 BP. Here, we review and synthesize palaeoenvironmental studies and data to examine anthropogenic impacts and modifications of these landscapes. From around 4,000 BP, we find significant changes in palynomorph, charcoal, sediment, and other proxy data, related to the introduction of agriculture to the region, with later intensifications in land use indicators at around 2,000 and 1,000 BP. We note that these impacts are not uniform or continuous through and across the records and may be evidence of shifting phases of occupation and landscape management. This temporal and spatial variability may also be a response to shifts in moisture availability due to long-term Holocene changes in the intensity of the summer monsoon and Westerly circulation systems. Changes in arboreal pollen indicate the development of intensified use of forest resources in the region, which we identify as a topic for future investigation. Based on these data, we stress the long-term human paleoecology in the study area and argue that traditional agropastoralist systems should be considered in future programs of landscape conservation in the region. This study also emphasizes the importance of future local scale multiproxy studies into past anthropogenic changes within the Inner Asian landscape.

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-hol-10.1177_0959683620919976 for Variable monsoons and human adaptations: Archaeological and palaeoenvironmental records during the last 1400 years in north-western India by Anil K Pokharia, Jeewan Singh Kharakwal, Shalini Sharma, Michael Spate, Deepika Tripathi, Ashok Priyadarshan Dimri, Xinyi Liu, Biswajeet Thakur, Sadhan Kumar Basumatary, Alka Srivastava, Kamalesh S Mahar and Krishna Pal Singh in The Holocene

The cultural history of the Kashmir Valley in the Western Himalayas spans at least 4500 years, beginning with some of the known Neolithic Agricultural villages in the mountainous regions of the northern Indian Subcontinent. The development of agriculture in the valley, and subsequent periods of cultural expansion have been attributed to economic growth that capitalised on warm-humid climate phases in the region, often followed by periods of supposed social collapse driven by the onset of cold-arid conditions. More recently, Kashmiri archaeologists have argued that these near-Malthusian interpretations result from a methodological focus on a handful of large sites, and that the Kashmir Valley contains multiple ecological niches suitable for a wide range of economic or ecological adaptation. This study seeks to build on palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data that suggests a more complex picture of social and ecological change in the valley. Rather than using archaeological remains, this study draws on environmental signatures of pastoralist usage, enrichment or modification of environmental niches at middle and high altitudes, primarily on the western flank of the Kashmir Valley. These data include changes in pollen spectra, charcoal and fungal spore accumulation or sediment deposition that are indicative of pastoralist activity in mountain regions, and are interpreted through the lens of niche construction theory. The results indicate that pastoralist land usage in the upland areas of Kashmir was spatially and temporally discontinuous, and likely entangled with other environmental and historical processes. Stronger signatures for pastoralism often appear contemporary with drier conditions and periods of regional agricultural intensification, indicating that upland summer season herding may be an adaptive strategy to mitigate other ecological or economic pressures.