Open research questions in Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

What the literature leaves open

• Engaging with Indigenous Knowledge - Dismantling remnant colonial foundations in archaeological practices - Expanding archaeological science approaches

  Time to Grow: Reevaluating Archaeological Approaches to Indigenous Human–Plant Relationships in the Canadian Northern Plains · 2026 · DOI

• The authors faced challenges in preserving and identifying the archaeobotanical remains. They note the difficulty in distinguishing between different types of crops and wild plants. The paper highlights the need for careful interpretation of the findings in the context of the broader cultural and ecological landscapes.

  Seeds of Time: Archaeobotanical Insights into Late Bronze Age Agriculture from the Heart of Central Asia · 2026 · DOI

• poor preservation of some plant remains, - limited data from other sites in the region for comparison, - the absence of artifacts in the ditch limits interpretation of its use

  Seeds of Time: Archaeobotanical Insights into Late Bronze Age Agriculture from the Heart of Central Asia · 2026 · DOI

• The extent to which agricultural production and processing were centrally managed, household-based, or organised through a combination of different social scales remains an important archaeological question. There is a need to evaluate how far historically or theoretically derived models of centralised agricultural management correspond to the material organisation of everyday production at specific settlements.

  Agricultural Practices of Rice and Millet at the Largest Zhou Dynasty Settlement by the Weishui River in South-Central China · 2026 · DOI

• Archaeology has yet to establish a space at the policymaking table. The discipline has not fully contributed to the 'global challenges' of the twenty-first century. There is a need for an expanded understanding of the contemporary moment.

  A space at the table? Global challenges and contemporary archaeology as plural transdisciplinary design for the future · 2026 · DOI

• The understanding of Neolithic tombs and the people buried within them is limited by sparse radiocarbon sequences and the fragmented and commingled nature of the osteological assemblages. The study of kinship and social relationships in prehistoric human populations is complex and multidimensional. The application of ancient DNA analysis can help address these gaps and improve our understanding of Neolithic social relationships.

  Building tombs and entombing the dead as technologies of descent and affinity in Neolithic northern Scotland · 2026 · DOI

• Difficulty in discerning funerary practices in Iron Age Britain archaeologically. Limited preservation of human remains in some contexts. Complexity of interpreting postmortem modifications and their significance.

  Reconnecting the dead in Iron Age Britain: funerary processing and long-distance connectivity at Loch Borralie, Scotland · 2026 · DOI

• Lack of formal funerary rites in Iron Age Britain. Abundant examples of human remains found in non-funerary contexts. Limited understanding of funerary practice, mobility, and connectivity in Iron Age Britain.

  Reconnecting the dead in Iron Age Britain: funerary processing and long-distance connectivity at Loch Borralie, Scotland · 2026 · DOI

• recent damage to the inner surface of Sample G16-3-A4/1, - uncertainty about the overall shape of Sample G16-2-A1, - lack of information about the surface treatments employed in the production of the vessels

  Understanding a first attempt at pottery: early fired containers at Çemka Höyük · 2026 · DOI

• further analysis of the ceramic technology, - investigation of the role of clay in the development of ceramic innovation, - examination of the relationship between the ceramic technology and the social and economic traditions of the local community

  Understanding a first attempt at pottery: early fired containers at Çemka Höyük · 2026 · DOI

• Although missing data are an inherent issue in archaeology. Small, ephemeral sites might potentially be under-represented because they are more easily eroded or destroyed completely. The temporal resolution remains a constraint.

  Urban resilience in Ancient Mesopotamia: insights into the socioeconomic system of the Bronze and Iron Age Khabur Valley · 2026 · DOI

• Our framework can be used across archaeological contexts where there is sufficient evidence to construct formal period-specific networks of settlements.

  Urban resilience in Ancient Mesopotamia: insights into the socioeconomic system of the Bronze and Iron Age Khabur Valley · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identifies a limitation of stable isotope studies, namely the nature of the archaeological material available for study. There is a need for further research on rural sites to understand urban/rural differences in medieval diet. The study highlights the importance of considering social differentiation in medieval diet, which has not been fully explored in prior work.

  Detecting social differences in diet in medieval towns: isotopic evidence from Cambridge, England, c. AD 940–1538 · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of understanding of how early farmers and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers interacted in the borderlands of Early Neolithic Central Europe. The need for an interdisciplinary programme to investigate models of interaction between early farmers and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers.

  LBK outpost of Eilsleben: hunter-farmer encounters in the borderlands of Early Neolithic Central Europe · 2026 · DOI

• resolving labelling and storage issues - reconstructing excavation information for sites - analyzing non-diagnostic faunal remains - developing effective methods for residue analysis

  Excavating Andersson: unlocking forgotten treasures in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities (MFEA), Stockholm · 2026 · DOI

• systematic recording, analysis and publication of materials from sites where find location and retrieval conditions can be reconstructed, - research on ceramics and animal bones, - making the database fully trilingual, - investigating the contributions of Andersson's Chinese colleagues

  Excavating Andersson: unlocking forgotten treasures in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities (MFEA), Stockholm · 2026 · DOI

• The difficulty in interpreting carbon isotope values when aquatic products are mixed with other resources. The need for further elucidation of compounds derived from degraded plant waxes and oils. The challenge of identifying diagnostic aquatic markers in ceramic vessels.

  Cuisine and culture-contact: lipid residue analysis reveals lack of aquatic products in pottery from Viking Age England · 2026 · DOI

• further elucidation of compounds using high-temperature gas chromatography mass spectrometry is required, - analysis of powdered ceramic samples for other types of biomarkers

  Cuisine and culture-contact: lipid residue analysis reveals lack of aquatic products in pottery from Viking Age England · 2026 · DOI

• Reconstructing the patterns of use and reuse of sacred spaces in the North Pontic Steppe - Gaining a more nuanced understanding of the complex cultural and demographic shifts in this transformative geographic region

  The continuity of sacred spaces in the North Pontic Steppe: a case study of the Revova Kurgan 3 (Ukraine) · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identifies a gap in understanding the cultural and demographic shifts in the North Pontic Steppe. It highlights the need to investigate the 'continuity of sacred spaces' in the region.

  The continuity of sacred spaces in the North Pontic Steppe: a case study of the Revova Kurgan 3 (Ukraine) · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identifies the challenge of detecting early caches, which are often deeply buried and difficult to locate. The authors note the challenge of minimizing invasive excavations and preserving the site for future generations. The paper highlights the challenge of interpreting the results of geophysical surveys, including the need to ground-truth the data through excavation.

  Early Maya chert caching documented through archaeological geophysics at Cahal Pech, Belize · 2026 · DOI

• further study of the cache and its context could provide more insights into the ritual logic and significance of the deposit, - investigation of other potential caches in the Maya lowlands using geophysical survey methods

  Early Maya chert caching documented through archaeological geophysics at Cahal Pech, Belize · 2026 · DOI

• The preservation of wooden looms is rare, making it challenging to study their structure and use. The analysis of loom weights and associated charred timbers and fibres requires careful excavation and documentation. The interpretation of the remains of the loom and the reconstruction of its original form and function is a complex challenge.

  Evidence of a warp-weighted loom in the Bronze Age settlement of Cabezo Redondo (south-east Spain) · 2026 · DOI

• further analysis of the loom weights and associated elements could provide more information about the type and size of the loom, - experimental archaeology could be used to test hypotheses about the possible textiles produced

  Evidence of a warp-weighted loom in the Bronze Age settlement of Cabezo Redondo (south-east Spain) · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of evidence for four-wheeled wagons in Iron Age Britain. The incomplete nature of archaeological distribution maps. The need for further analysis of the Melsonby finds to understand their significance.

  Vehicles of change: two exceptional deposits of destroyed chariots or wagons from Late Iron Age Britain · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

• Willow Smoke and Dogs’ Tails: Hunter-Gatherer Settlement Systems and Archaeological Site Formation · American Antiquity · 1980 · 1,785 citations
• Archaeology as Anthropology · American Antiquity · 1962 · 777 citations
• Archaeological Context and Systemic Context · American Antiquity · 1972 · 661 citations
• Raw-Material Availability and the Organization of Technology · American Antiquity · 1994 · 483 citations
• Dimensional Analysis of Behavior and Site Structure: Learning from an Eskimo Hunting Stand · American Antiquity · 1978 · 459 citations
• Technological Efficiency and Tool Curation · American Antiquity · 1986 · 433 citations
• Toward the Identification of Formation Processes · American Antiquity · 1983 · 424 citations
• The Upper Paleolithic Revolution · Annual Review of Anthropology · 2002 · 420 citations
• New Archaeobotanic Data for the Study of the Origins of Agriculture in China · Current Anthropology · 2011 · 413 citations
• The Optimal Design of Hunting Weapons: Maintainability or Reliability · American Antiquity · 1986 · 403 citations

Most recent work

• A mid-Holocene age for Monte Verde challenges the timeline of human colonization of South America · Science · 2026
• Análisis cualitativo y práctico de residuos químicos como indicador en la preparación y consumo de alimentos en el sur de América Central: aportes desde la arqueología experimental · Cuadernos de Antropología · 2026
• Changing the Landscape of Archaeological Publishing · Current Anthropology · 2026
• A space at the table? Global challenges and contemporary archaeology as plural transdisciplinary design for the future · Antiquity · 2026
• The Elk Ridge Community in the Mimbres Pueblo World · American Antiquity · 2026
• Insularity as Cultural Strategy: Mimbres Social Organization in Southwest New Mexico, AD 1000–1130 · American Antiquity · 2026
• Dharih (Wadi al-Hasa, Jordan) in the Early Bronze Age: The Evidence from the French-Jordanian Excavations · Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research · 2026
• Uncovering the lives of rock doves ( Columba livia ) in Late Bronze Age Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus · Antiquity · 2026
• A Theory of Andean Geoglyphs · Journal of Anthropological Research · 2026
• The cannibalistic trade-off: Why human cannibalism emerges and why taboos suppress it · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2026

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