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Topic · Paleontology

Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

Archaeology and ancient environmental studies is a research topic within Paleontology. Science Explorer counts 40k research works in it since 1950. 10.1% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on radiocarbon dating, isotopic analysis, and agricultural origins research. It covers topics such as the development of radiocarbon calibration curves, domestication and early agriculture, nitrogen isotopes in archaeology, and the impact of climate change on agricultural practices. The papers also delve into the use of stable isotopes for reconstructing ancient diets, tracking human and animal mobility, and understanding the origins of plant cultivation.

  • Radiocarbon Dating
  • Agricultural Origins
  • Isotopic Analysis
  • Domestication Studies
  • Archaeological Residue Analysis
  • Stable Isotope Analysis
  • Carbon Cycle Dynamics
  • Strontium Isotopes
  • Neolithic Transition
  • Ancient Agriculture
Research works
40k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
4k
per year above
Top-10% rate
10.1%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+0%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
United States
26% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

Which countries lead Archaeology and ancient environmental studies research?

By volume, the United States and the United Kingdom publish the most (1.4k and 883 works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 United States 1.4k works
  2. 2 United Kingdom 883 works
  3. 3 China 598 works
  4. 4 France 554 works
  5. 5 Russia 410 works
  6. 6 Spain 397 works
  7. 7 Germany 349 works
  8. 8 Italy 267 works
  9. 9 Australia 213 works
  10. 10 Sri Lanka 189 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 26.4%United Kingdom: 16.8%China: 11.4%France: 10.6%6 others listed: 34.8%26%largest
United States1,381 · 26.4%United Kingdom883 · 16.8%China598 · 11.4%France554 · 10.6%6 others listed1,825 · 34.8%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Archaeology and ancient environmental studies research?

By volume in 2022-now, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique publishes the most Archaeology and ancient environmental studies research, followed by Russian Academy of Sciences and Department of Archaeology.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 303 works
  2. 2 Russian Academy of SciencesRussia 229 works
  3. 3 Department of ArchaeologySri Lanka 180 works
  4. 4 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y TécnicasArgentina 82 works
  5. 5 Oxford ArchaeologyUnited Kingdom 78 works
  6. 6 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 70 works
  7. 7 Chinese Academy of Social SciencesChina 67 works
  8. 8 Amt für ArchäologieSwitzerland 61 works
  9. 9 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasSpain 57 works
  10. 10 University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom 49 works

Who are the leading researchers in Archaeology and ancient environmental studies?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Archaeology and ancient environmental studies include George Davey Smith, Richard M. Durbin and Kāri Stefánsson.

  1. 1 George Davey Smith United Kingdom 435k citations
  2. 2 Richard M. Durbin United Kingdom 410k citations
  3. 3 Kāri Stefánsson Iceland 211k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

What are the most cited papers in Archaeology and ancient environmental studies?

The most cited paper in Archaeology and ancient environmental studies is "IntCal13 and Marine13 Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curves 0–50,000 Years cal BP" (Paula J Reimer et al., 2010), with 10,058 citations. Next come "Bayesian Analysis of Radiocarbon Dates" (8,832) and "The IntCal20 Northern Hemisphere Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curve (0–55 cal kBP)" (7,945).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 IntCal13 and Marine13 Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curves 0–50,000 Years cal BP Paula J Reimer et al. · Radiocarbon Open access 2010 10,058
2 Bayesian Analysis of Radiocarbon Dates Christopher Bronk Ramsey · Radiocarbon Open access 2009 8,832
3 The IntCal20 Northern Hemisphere Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curve (0–55 cal kBP) Paula J. Reimer et al. · Radiocarbon Open access Aug 2020 7,945
4 Extended 14C Data Base and Revised CALIB 3.0 14C Age Calibration Program Minze Stuiver, Paula J. Reimer · Radiocarbon Open access 1993 7,851
5 The genetic legacy of the Quaternary ice ages Godfrey M. Hewitt · Nature Open access 22 Jun 2000 7,354
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Archaeology and ancient environmental studies research done?

The largest centres of Archaeology and ancient environmental studies research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Paris (France), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and London (United Kingdom). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Xinhui District, Frauenfeld and Colombo.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 233 works
  2. 2 ParisFrance 189 works
  3. 3 ColomboSri Lanka 187 works
  4. 4 LondonUnited Kingdom 181 works
  5. 5 OxfordUnited Kingdom 129 works
  6. 6 Buenos AiresArgentina 88 works
  7. 7 MoscowRussia 82 works
  8. 8 JerusalemIsrael 81 works
  9. 9 MadridSpain 76 works
  10. 10 NovosibirskRussia 67 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. Xinhui DistrictCN · 23.9 works364×
  2. FrauenfeldCH · 61.0 works252×
  3. ColomboLK · 187.0 works47×
  4. MetzFR · 20.8 works42×
  5. TarragonaES · 39.5 works27×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Archaeology and ancient environmental studies than the world average.

See Archaeology and ancient environmental studies on the map

Where is the best place to study Archaeology and ancient environmental studies?

Among universities, judged by research, University of Tübingen, Lanzhou University and University of Cambridge score highest, combining citation excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%10%20%30%mean 17.09%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →Lanzhou UniversityUniversity of TübingenUniversity of Cambri…Durham University
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the first ten of the table below, at the default weights. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

Citation excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
40%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
10%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
30%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
10%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
10%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1University of TübingenGermany 78.221.5%15.8×46 +3.0%
2Lanzhou UniversityChina 76.128.5%4.8×22 +119.6%
3University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom 72.817.9%6.0×49 -2.0%
4Durham UniversityUnited Kingdom 68.312.3%17.5×44 +13.2%
5University of OxfordUnited Kingdom 67.713.6%4.7×45 -13.2%
6Universitat Rovira i VirgiliSpain 61.915.8%15.9×20 +13.1%
7University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 61.822.6%1.7×18 +33.5%
8Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu KielGermany 60.311.4%15.5×32 +5.0%
9Hebrew University of JerusalemIsrael 59.410.5%7.1×25 +18.6%
10University College LondonUnited Kingdom 58.716.8%2.8×30 -36.4%

Universities only. The score blends citation excellence (40%), size (30%), specialisation (10%), growth (10%), international reach (10%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise.

Every institution in Archaeology and ancient environmental studies, country by country

Is Archaeology and ancient environmental studies research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 0% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2020.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Archaeology and ancient environmental studies as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.032% in 2024.

still counting0.020%0.040%0.060%Archaeology and ancient environmental studies0.033% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Archaeology and ancient environmental studies over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%Archaeology and ancient environmental studies10.0% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

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