Cuneiform Insights into the Dawn of the Anthropocene

A project exploring ancient fisheries and human-environment interaction in southern Iraq, using cuneiform texts and archaeological evidence.

The Cuneiform Insights into the Dawn of the Anthropocene project investigates how cuneiform documents and archaeological data from ancient Mesopotamia reveal the long-term impacts of human activity on the environment. Focusing on third-millennium BCE fisheries in southern Iraq, the project brings together textual analysis, environmental archaeology, and digital humanities to illuminate early examples of anthropogenic change.

Collaborators:

  • Christie Carr
  • Émilie Pagé-Perron
  • Jacob L. Dahl
  • Funded by the John Fell Fund, Oxford

Related event:
Workshop: Writing the Dawn of the Anthropocene, Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale 2025 (Prague)

Project Overview

This project explores how data extracted from cuneiform texts can be used to analyse changes in human-environment interaction and impact in southern Iraq in the 3rd millennium BCE. The southern Iraq marshes, once a vast and biodiverse wetland, have faced both ancient and modern exploitation. By combining cuneiform administrative, legal, and epistolary texts with archaeological and ecological data, we seek to answer:

  • How did fishing industries in the 3rd millennium BCE affect fish populations and aquatic environments?
  • What evidence exists for resilience, sustainability, or over-exploitation?
  • How did climate, geomorphological change, and irrigation shape resource use and settlement?
Left: Fish and fishing are frequent topics in third-millennium cuneiform texts. Middle: The southern Iraq marshes, a unique ecosystem shaped by millennia of human activity. Right: Administrative cuneiform tablet recording fish rations.

Modern and Ancient Contexts

The modern destruction of the southern Iraq marshes in the 1990s, through drainage and diversion, led to catastrophic ecological loss and displacement of the Marsh Arab communities[5]. In antiquity, these marshes were exploited for fish, reeds, birds, and other resources, as documented in cuneiform texts from sites like Lagash, Umma, and Iri-Sagrig.

Research Questions

  • Did ancient fishing affect species populations and biodiversity?
  • Are there patterns in the textual data that suggest environmental degradation or sustainability?
  • How do administrative and legal texts reflect changes in resource management over time?

Methodology

  • Textual analysis of cuneiform documents (administrative, legal, epistolary) mentioning fish and environmental management.
  • Quantitative study: Tracking quantities, types, and distribution of fish and other resources across time and place.
  • Integration with archaeological data: Comparing textual records with archaeological studies.
  • Case studies: Focus on Iri-Sagrig, Umma, and Girsu in the Ur III period.

Key Findings

  • Fish rations: Large-scale redistribution of fish to workers and messengers is recorded, with notable fluctuations and periods of scarcity.
  • Environmental impact: Texts show both abundance and depletion, with some letters noting the unavailability of fish, possibly due to overfishing, climate, or seasonal factors.
  • Aquaculture evidence: Rare references to fish ponds and managed breeding suggest early attempts at sustainability.
  • Climate and hydrology: Major shifts in river courses, coastline, and irrigation practices shaped both settlement and resource exploitation.
Left: Distribution of cuneiform texts mentioning fish in the Ur III period. Middle: Workshop on the Anthropocene and ancient environments, Prague 2025. Right: Table summarizing fish rations by city and period.

Publications and Outputs

  • Carr, C., Pagé-Perron, É., Dahl, J.L. Human-Environment Interactions at the Dawn of the Anthropocene: A Case Study of Third-Millennium Fisheries in South-Western Asia (in preparation, John Fell Fund, Oxford)
  • Workshop: Writing the Dawn of the Anthropocene, Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale 2025 (Prague)

Impact and Future Directions

This project demonstrates how ancient texts can inform our understanding of long-term human-environment interaction and resilience. Insights from cuneiform sources contribute to debates on sustainability, resource management, and the Anthropocene in the ancient world.

Further research will expand to other resource industries and integrate broader datasets from the CDLI and archaeological surveys.