Deconstructing the Redundancy, Essentialism, and Value of an Ecological Approach in (East Mediterranean) Archaeology and Its Relationship to Art History

The historical connection between art history and archaeology dates back to the origin of art history in emerging as a discipline from classical archaeology. The practices of both continue to diverge and intersect, rendering an ironic status for both as summarised in this contribution. Ecological approaches to archaeology are problematic, with the role of -scapes (land, sea, sky, etc.) and environments being weighted differently, depending on region, time period, and research questions. These are influenced by broader methodological approaches such as environmental determinism (processualism), traditional art history, field archaeology, and the emphasis of environmental studies on macro (-scape studies) and micro (archaeobotany and phytolith analysis) levels. Field archaeology is by necessity interdisciplinary, requiring different but complementary areas of expertise as discussed below. This contribution will elaborate on the relationship between archaeology, its intersecting disciplines and approaches, and the role of collaboration. It concludes with a brief case study summarising the relationship between trade, complex society, and scapes in the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1700–1200 BCE) Mediterranean and the possible role of climate change, piracy, and religion that caused its collapse in the 12th century BCE.