Episode 81 - Archaeology, Pandemics, and Climate Change with Susanne Hakenbeck

Infectious Historians

Susanne Hakenbeck (University of Cambridge) joins Merle and Lee to discuss the key role of archaeology in histories of disease, pandemics, and climate change in the ancient and medieval worlds. After discussing the place of archaeology in understanding health and disease, Susanne talks about the pivotal role archaeologists have in contextualizing disease at specific sites, including dating and what human remains can and cannot show. She then speaks about archaeology and climate change, especially the place of resilience in premodern archaeology and how settlement patterns change over time. Finally, she discusses the inherent tensions within archaeology about micro and macro scales along with how right-wing and other groups have, at times, co-opted archeology for their own goals.