2025 AGM Lecture

Abstract

The Anthropocene—a geological epoch defined by anthropogenic climate disruption—marks an irreversible departure from Holocene stability, with atmospheric CO₂ levels now mirroring those of the Pliocene when the world was not populated by humans. As rising temperatures, ecological collapse, and extreme weather redefine planetary systems, the Anthropocene requires that archaeology transcend its conventional paradigms. This talk argues for a disciplinary recalibration, one that rejects Western epistemologies of human-centrism, narratives of progress, and colonial mentalities in favour of a framework rooted in transdisciplinarity, relationality, indigenous epistemologies and deep-time thinking.

Drawing on fieldwork in western Türkiye and other climate-vulnerable regions of Southwest Asia, I will suggest a way forward for archaeological research to mediate between climate science, habitat protection and policy advocacy. By integrating these methodologies in the field, the discipline can reframe heritage as an entangled socio-ecological continuum, ideally protecting both cultural memory and endangered habitats. Ultimately, this talk aims to position archaeology as a vital agent of climate action by re-assembling research on the material remains of the past into a science of planetary care, facilitating systemic change in our relationship with the planet.