Towards a Deeper Understanding of Ancient Terrestrial Migrations: Migratory Ecology and Links to Hominin and Human Behavior

The context of hominin and human adaptations is primarily informed by the reconstruction of ancient environments and ecosystems. This is so that causal links can be made between climate and habitat changes and the adaptations and decisions shown by hominins and later humans, such as tool use, bipedality, controlled use of fire, hunting behaviours, settlement patterns, and resource use. Within this human-centred framework, however, there is a growing appreciation for the role of mobility in the archaeological record, both of the hominins themselves but also of the mobility of prey animals within these ecosystems. Faunal migrations, especially of megafauna and herds of grazing herbivores, played key parts within their ecosystems, as they do today in areas such as the Serengeti-Mara in eastern Africa and in the western Arctic. Further, these animal migrations undoubtedly had profound implications for hominin and human seasonal organization, resource scheduling, and mobility.


To examine ancient prey migrations worldwide, a range of techniques has been applied, most specifically stable isotope analyses of intra-element variability for elements such as strontium, carbon and oxygen, which provides a window into the mobility of the life of the animal within the region, relative to where they were recovered. This Research Topic will seek to showcase this type of study from regions around the world where this approach has been successfully implemented, with a view to summarising current state of the art and directions for future research, questions for developing a more detailed view of extinct species palaeoecology and reconstructing ancient human-prey relationships.



Specific themes which could be included:


• Migration of extinct megafauna (e.g. mammoths)

• Migration of caribou and reindeer (Rangifer) and relationships to humans and extinct hominins

• Pleistocene grazer ecosystem reconstruction

• Changes in mobility of ungulate populations across major climatic shifts

• Animal mobility and human resource scheduling

• Migration of mobile resources (e.g. mammals, fish) globally


We also welcome any study which addresses these issues but from outside of the geographic scope stated in the list above. We encourage the submission of a range of article types, including Perspective, Opinion, and Review pieces, as well as Original Research articles. Additionally, we would welcome informal queries from prospective authors to the editors to see if their work falls within the scope envisioned for the collection.