Reconstructing Ancient Societies Through Human-Environment Interactions

Dr. Matthew Boyd, the Associate Professor and Chair of Anthropology at Lakehead University, was kind enough to let me interview him. Dr. Boyd’s research is fascinating, he uses food residue from objects to reconstruct ancient diets. Additionally, Dr. Boyd studies the impact of large Pleistocene lakes on climate and early societies. Not only is he an anthropologist, but also an archaeologist with an interest in “cultural landscapes, submerged landscapes, and environmental past of northern North America.” 

Here is an excerpt from the interview:

V: Your bio says that you study 2,000-year-old suppers. That sounds so interesting. Could you elaborate on that? 

Dr. Boyd: Over the last couple of decades, my students and I have been studying food residues preserved on artifacts such as pottery and tools to reconstruct ancient cuisines. Archaeologists spend a lot of energy studying food (diet and subsistence) because what people eat tells you a lot about human adaptation and the ways that human societies interact with their environments. The main challenge in archaeology as far as reconstructing ancient diets is concerned, is that food is organic and so is less likely to be preserved in ancient archaeological sites. Food residues-- which are the direct remains of plants and animals adhering to artifacts-- can be analyzed chemically and microscopically for traces of organics that we wouldn't otherwise "see".   

V: This is a very niche topic. What led you to research this topic?

Dr. Boyd: Food residue research has really exploded as a research topic in the time period that I've been a professional archaeologist. It has been applied to a lot of different topics and sites around the world. For example, researchers have used it to understand the transition from hunting and gathering (i.e., harvesting wild foods) to the beginnings of agriculture which is one of the greatest 'revolutions' in human history. This is the area of research that I work in, and I focus especially on tracking and understanding the most northerly food production (agriculture) in the Americas. 

V: You also study cultural landscapes, submerged landscapes, and the environmental past of northern North America. What do these landscapes tell us about the people who once inhabited this region?

Dr. Boyd: Submerged landscapes are interesting because they are a little mysterious but also can provide remarkable 'time machines' to the past. When an area that was once dry land becomes inundated by a lake or the ocean, under certain circumstances, it can provide remarkable evidence that wouldn't typically survive in archaeological sites on dry land. This evidence can consist of environmental remains (physical traces of plants, animals, and landforms) as well as archaeological remains such as houses, large structures, middens, etc. Underwater archaeology and the study of submerged landscapes is another area of the discipline that have undergone enormous growth over the last couple of decades, partly due to the development of new technologies that enable better exploration of the undersea world. My interests in the field focus mostly on the North American Great Lakes. As it turns out, some offshore areas in this region have well-preserved sites that date to the period shortly after the Ice Age, when humans first began to colonize the northeastern US and adjacent Canada.   

V: How can these findings regarding ancient diets, landscapes, and environmental conditions during the Pleistocene help us make more informed decisions about our present?

Dr. Boyd: I don't think that the link is a direct one between the lives of late Pleistocene peoples and modern societies. However, submerged landscapes and archaeological sites do contribute to a broader understanding of humans in general, and can be of particular interest to descent Indigenous communities where I work. Colonialism in the Americas (and elsewhere) has contributed to the deliberate erasure of Indigenous history, but archaeology can play a key role in preserving, understanding, and promoting deep human history both here and everywhere in the world. Archaeology (and Anthropology more generally), when done properly, can be a form of activism against biased historiography, and social inequality and injustice.    

V: What is your favorite aspect of being an anthropologist? For example, is it the analysis of archaeological sites and artifacts, studying the evolution of humans, ancient cultures and practices, or anything else?

Dr. Boyd: I enjoy all of the aspects of my job, but I'm particularly driven by the process of discovery and the communication of archaeological discoveries to students and the public. Archaeology is such an amazing field because it integrates the sciences (biology, geosciences, chemistry, and others) and humanities, and is constantly bringing to light new facts and theories about the most interesting and complex species on earth (humans!) Field work can also be exciting because it combines travel with scientific research and, sometimes, exposure to different cultures.  

V: Are you working on any excavations or other exciting projects at the moment?

Dr. Boyd: I'm working with US and Canadian colleagues on 9000-year-old submerged archaeological sites in Lakes Huron and Superior. I'm also developing a community-led project in Canada designed to record pre-colonial landscapes that were obliterated by hydroelectric dams (and the rising water levels that they produced) in the late 1800s. I'm also interested in understanding how ancient small-scale societies responded to periods of abrupt climate change, including one that occurred ~1400 years ago due to volcanic eruptions. All of these projects include a combination of field work and lab research.