ABSTRACT

The concept of more-than-human agency maintains that objects, animals and plants can act as agents with various effects on people and that trees specifically may play a role in shaping and changing spaces (hence constituting a ‘planty agency’). Also, trees usually outlive several human generations and can therefore be termed ‘historical trees.’ Although this issue is especially relevant for the discipline of landscape archaeology, no systematic methodology has been developed as to how to integrate historical trees in the archaeological documentation of sites and landscapes. Furthermore, there is no scholarly consensus about acknowledging historical trees as legitimate targets for archaeological research from the outset. In this study it is claimed that historical planted (and sometimes wild) trees form relics of intra- and (mainly) inter-settlement cultural landscapes of the recent past. Hence, historical trees can be treated as arboreal evidence that should be interpreted alongside the cultural/material evidence. The great potential of historical trees for archaeological and historical research is demonstrated by seven case studies from Israel’s coastal region which represent various spatial and functional contexts dated to the late medieval, Ottoman and British Mandate periods. Based on these examples a basic methodology for the documentation of historical trees is suggested.

摘要

more-than-human agency 的概念认为，物体、动物和植物可以充当对人产生各种影响的代理人，而树木尤其可以在塑造和改变空间方面发挥作用（因此构成“植物代理”）。此外，树木的寿命通常超过人类几代人的寿命，因此可称为“历史树木”。虽然这个问题与景观考古学学科特别相关，但关于如何将历史树木整合到遗址和景观的考古文献中，还没有开发出系统的方法论。此外，对于从一开始就承认历史树木是考古研究的合法目标，学术界并未达成共识。在这项研究中，声称历史上种植的（有时是野生的）树木形成了近期聚落内和（主要是）聚落间文化景观的遗迹。因此，历史树木可以被视为树木证据，应该与文化/物质证据一起进行解释。来自以色列沿海地区的七个案例研究证明了历史树木在考古和历史研究中的巨大潜力，这些案例代表了中世纪晚期、奥斯曼帝国和英国托管时期的各种空间和功能背景。基于这些例子，提出了一种记录历史树木的基本方法。来自以色列沿海地区的七个案例研究证明了历史树木在考古和历史研究中的巨大潜力，这些案例代表了中世纪晚期、奥斯曼帝国和英国托管时期的各种空间和功能背景。基于这些例子，提出了一种记录历史树木的基本方法。来自以色列沿海地区的七个案例研究证明了历史树木在考古和历史研究中的巨大潜力，这些案例代表了中世纪晚期、奥斯曼帝国和英国托管时期的各种空间和功能背景。基于这些例子，提出了一种记录历史树木的基本方法。