Environmental Archaeology in South Asia: Preservation, Subsistence, and Human–Environment Feedbacks

Environmental archaeology in South Asia is shaped by pronounced regional differences in preservation conditions, which have led to uneven datasets and fragmented interpretive frameworks. In the northwestern regions, particularly in the context of the Indus Civilization, charred botanical macroremains provide detailed insights into agricultural systems and plant-based subsistence. In contrast, large parts of peninsular India are characterized by poor preservation of macroremains, with reconstructions relying primarily on microbotanical proxies such as phytoliths, starch grains, and pollen. These disparities have influenced how past human–environment interactions are understood and compared across regions. At the same time, faunal evidence, including ichthyological remains, has often been underintegrated despite its importance for reconstructing broader subsistence systems. This Research Topic addresses the need for a more integrated and preservation-aware approach to environmental archaeology in South Asia.

This Research Topic aims to overcome the fragmentation of environmental archaeological research in South Asia by explicitly treating preservation as an analytical framework rather than a limitation. It seeks to bring together diverse lines of evidence—archaeobotanical macroremains, microbotanical data, zooarchaeological and ichthyological records, as well as isotopic and geoarchaeological datasets—to develop more balanced reconstructions of past subsistence systems and human–environment interactions. A central goal is to explore how different preservation pathways shape not only the archaeological record but also the narratives constructed from it. By integrating regional case studies from the Indus region, South India, and other ecological zones, the Research Topic will examine patterns of agricultural diversity, resource use, and adaptive strategies under monsoon-driven climatic variability. Ultimately, it aims to contribute to broader theoretical discussions on resilience, niche construction, and socio-ecological systems, while highlighting the relevance of long-term archaeological data for current debates on sustainability and climate adaptation.

This Research Topic invites contributions that address environmental archaeology in South Asia through a preservation-aware and multi-proxy perspective. Relevant themes include preservation pathways and taphonomy of plant and faunal remains; archaeobotanical macroremains and agricultural systems; microbotanical approaches (phytoliths, starch, pollen) in tropical environments; integration of macro- and microbotanical datasets; zooarchaeology and ichthyology in subsistence reconstruction; and multi-proxy environmental reconstructions as well as chronological aspects. Contributions exploring human–environment feedbacks, agricultural strategies, resource diversification, and adaptation to monsoon variability are particularly welcome. We invite a range of manuscript types, including regional and site-based case studies, methodological and analytical papers, as well as synthetic and comparative studies. Interdisciplinary contributions that combine plant, faunal, and environmental datasets are especially encouraged.