The 7th Research Network of the German Archaeological Institute in Istanbul (DAI) in cooperation with the Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations of Koç University (ANAMED) and the Climate Change and History Research Initiative at Princeton University (CCHRI) aims to strengthen the exchange of knowledge between junior scholars from German, Turkish and international universities and academic institutions. Over a three-year period, from 2023 to 2025, up to 10 participants will collaborate in a transdisciplinary group on socio-ecological approaches to the history and archaeology of Anatolia and its neighboring regions. 

Recent studies have highlighted the significance of environmental changes in transformational processes throughout human history. While this presumption proves to be true to a certain extent, it should not be understood as a monocausal correlation, but rather as an integral element of the complex adaptive system of historic human-environment interaction. The level of complexity often seems overwhelming and impossible to manage; however, studies on a regional or micro-level scale might hold the key to a better understanding.  In order to establish comparability between studies and bridge temporal and spatial distances within the rich history of Anatolia, a framework of social metabolism and socio-ecological models will be deployed. By making use of different approaches, the aim is to create a basis for meta -analyses or ‘bigger narratives’ of the complex hybrid system between the ecological and socio-cultural spheres.