Abstract

Understanding the intricate relationship between climate change, biodiversity shifts, and human activity is crucial for deciphering the complexities of ecological dynamics throughout history and contextualizing significant historical events. The rich zooarchaeological record of Holocene northeastern Africa and the Levant offers a unique opportunity to investigate long-term biodiversity trends amidst climatic fluctuations and societal transformations, such as the rise of ancient Egypt and the expansion of the Roman Empire. This talk presents two complementary studies. First, I share findings from extensive cave surveys conducted in the Judean Desert, aimed at reconstructing long-term records of wild mammal communities. These findings underscore the ecological role of ancient human societies in driving environmental degradation, including evidence of trophic cascades caused by the hunting of the region’s top predator, the Arabian leopard. Additionally, I highlight the discovery of an extraordinary Pleistocene fossil assemblage of the crested rat, a poisonous Afro-tropical rodent that expanded its range beyond Africa in synchrony with early human migrations. Second, I explore the interplay between climate-driven shifts and human activities—such as overexploitation and agricultural practices—in shaping biodiversity patterns across northeastern Africa. This analysis integrates species distribution models (SDMs) with zooarchaeological records and ancient artistic depictions of wild mammals. Together, these approaches shed light on the environmental and cultural forces that have shaped biodiversity over millennia, offering valuable lessons for addressing modern and future ecological challenges.