Human Behavioral Ecology and the Complexities of Arctic Environments

Arctic and subarctic landscapes present some of the most challenging environments inhabited by human populations in the past. This chapter examines the coastal geographies of the Beringian corridor and the variable habitats that have conditioned the adaptive strategies of human groups in this region for millennia. The goal is to examine complex decisions made by past foragers living in Beringia through the application of human behavioral ecology models that explore how ecological forces influence long-term changes in the archaeological record. A series of case studies that apply a modelling approach are highlighted as examples of research in Northern latitudes that draw inspiration from human behavioral ecology to explore diet, population dynamics, and settlement patterns. We conclude that human behavioral ecology provides a valuable starting point for examining the history of people living in circumpolar regions but future research must continue to develop approaches that incorporate the impact of seasonality on foraging decisions, social networks, and even social inequality.