| Abstract: |
This chapter explores causal linking mechanisms between environmental changes and the beginnings of group conflict as represented by fortification building. It focuses on issues of food production in mixed agricultural/gathering economies and their role in mediating group conflict. The primary case study used to explore these links is the fortified settlements of Timor Leste, which first appear about 1100 C.E. At this time, Timorese engaged in a diverse array of subsistence strategies including dry and irrigated agriculture, domestic animal husbandry, fishing, hunting, and foraging for wild plant and animal resources and extensive trade that likely included food products. Although the island has documented human occupation dating as far back as 45 kya, fortifications appear on the landscape quite suddenly and extensively, although not in all areas simultaneously. This chapter reviews previous explanatory models and suggests avenues for future research on the links between changes in environment, food production, and warfare, with a focus on strategies to deal with underlying tensions about environmental determinism, chronological uncertainty, and disjunctions between textual and archaeological evidence.
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