Mapping Humanity's Footprint: 12,000 Years of Global Land Use

How have humans shaped Earth’s landscapes over millennia? Through two major collaborative projects - Anthromes-12k and ArchaeoGLOBE - we’re working with archaeologists worldwide to map humanity’s environmental impact across 12,000 years of history. By combining archaeological evidence with cutting-edge data science, we’re reconstructing when and where ancient societies transformed their environments through agriculture, urbanization, and resource use. This work challenges traditional views of “pristine” past landscapes, revealing instead a deep history of human-environment interaction that continues to influence patterns of biodiversity and land use today. Our resulting datasets and digital atlases provide crucial historical context for current Earth system models and conservation efforts.