Niche Dwelling vs. Niche Construction: Landscape Modification in the Bronze and Iron Ages of Central Asia Robert N. Spengler III # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014 Abstract Like all humans, mobile pastoralists alter their eco- logical niche to their advantage; however, archaeological dis- cussions of mobile pastoralists in Central Asia often focus on environmental factors as a sole driving force in decision making. In reality, anthropogenic modification of the land- scape are evident as far back at the Bronze Age. Herders altered the overall ecology of the region by converting forest into pasturelands and indirectly enhanced focal points on the landscape through herding processes. These ecological nodes are locations with higher nutrient-rich biomass, their produc- tivity is further enhanced through grazing. Hence, the overall process of herding in Central Asia has constructed a niche over the long-term that is better suited for this economic pursuit. Keywords Niche construction . Pastoralism . Central Asia . Bronze Age . Landscape modification Introduction Recent archaeological research in Central Asia 1 and across the steppe is showing that economies were more diverse in the Bronze (ca. 2500 – 800 B.C.) and Iron Ages (ca. 800 B.C. – A.D. 500) than previously thought. A new trend in research has been to identify the considerable differences in mobility patterns, economy, social organization, and resource use (Anthony and Brown 2012; Frachetti 2012; Honeychurch and Amartushin 2007; Shishlina 2008; Wright et al. 2009). This article draws on niche construction theory to add a new component to the model of diversity and economic success among archaeological economies in Central Eurasia. Niche construction theory (NCT) provides archaeologists with a framework for studying cultural complexity or, as some argue, uniformity that does not rely solely on environmentally deter- ministic models. The theoretical framework that has devel- oped around NCT can also be used to counter the concept of pastoralists being innately ‘niche-dwellers.’ Pastoralists are often discussed as ephemeral on the landscape and at the mercy of the environment. In addition, niche-dwelling, as I discuss below, is often used to refer to an ecological pocket or specific environmental setting. NCT gives humans agency over their environment through cultural processes. I discuss the topic of Central Eurasian economy with a niche construc- tion framework, and present three ways in which pastoralists constructed a niche in Central Asia more suitable for herding. While the focus of this discussion is Eurasian pastoralism, it is applicable to other pastoralist landscapes, such as the Andes in South America, the Ethiopian Highlands, the Himalayan Plateau, and the Siberian taiga. I draw on NCT to bridge pastoral economies and ecological pressures, leading to a richer view of the long-term stability of pastoral communities. While this trend is rapidly changing, archaeological dis- course centering on early Central Eurasia has long focused on climatic change and environmental conditions as driving forces. There is little doubt that humans felt the impact of climatic fluctuations in the past; however, NCT allows us to engage with these models of human/climate interaction and insert the adaptive qualities of cultural practice. As we move into the twenty-first century, it is clearer than ever that humans are niche constructors, and we interact reciprocally with all aspects of our environment. The recent debates over the onset of the Anthropocene (Smith and Zeder 2014), have empha- sized how far back in time human environmental modifica- tions go. Here, I focus on Bronze and Iron Age peoples of Central Asia, highlighting their modification of vegetation communities on a regional and local scale. By arguing that 1 I use the term Central Asia to include the ex-Soviet states of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan; Central Eurasia is a broader geographic term including Central Asia and its neighboring mountainous and steppe regions, such as western China. R. N. Spengler III (*) Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus Box 1114, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA e-mail: rnspengl@wustl.edu Hum Ecol DOI 10.1007/s10745-014-9697-x