A trowel (/ˈtraʊ.əl/), in the hands of an archaeologist, is like a trusty sidekick – a tiny, yet mighty, instrument that uncovers ancient secrets, one well-placed scoop at a time. It’s the Sherlock Holmes of the excavation site, revealing clues about the past with every delicate swipe.
As the new year begins, I find myself reflecting on how my career in archaeology has shaped both my professional path and personal growth. Archaeology, for me, goes beyond studying material remains. It is about connecting with the lives, struggles, and triumphs of those who came before us and using their stories to prepare for the future.
From the terraced mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines to the historic landscapes of Cambodia, and now the dry slopes of the Anti-Atlas Mountains in Morocco, my work aims to demonstrate how resilient societies navigated challenges strikingly like our own. These lessons from the past drive the commitment to finding solutions for today’s complex global issues, not just research. Here’s to a new year filled with discovery, meaningful collaborations, and the enduring insights of history.
Many of the readers of this column are familiar with my work among the Ifugao in the Philippines. As I have written multiple times, their rice terraces are often viewed as timeless monuments to ingenuity and resilience. Our studies, however, highlight their dynamic nature, shaped by community adaptation to environmental and social changes. Our work, in collaboration with local partners, like Marlon Martin and the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMo), has shown that the terraces, far from being static, were likely constructed only 400 years ago. It is a powerful demonstration to Indigenous innovation during a period of intense colonial pressure.
The challenges facing the terraces today are changing, growing more complex with time. Climate change — bringing stronger typhoons, unpredictable rainfall, and rising temperatures — now threatens the intricate interplay that has sustained these landscapes for centuries. But amid these challenges, there is hope.
Through the Preserving Legacies program, Marlon Martin has shown how the terraces are far more than physical structures, they are living monuments of cultural heritage. The wisdom of indigenous land stewardship, intricate water management systems, and the communal rituals that have nurtured the terraces for generations form the heart of their resilience. These traditions highlight that addressing climate change involves not only new technologies but also safeguarding and respecting knowledge systems that guide harmonious living with nature.
In Cambodia, my collaboration with Piphal Heng and other Khmer archaeologists has focused on understanding the lives of the communities that sustained the grandeur of Angkor. While Angkor’s temples and hydraulic systems often dominate discussions, it is the villages and settlements that tell the story of the people who built and maintained these monumental achievements. Recent excavations of residential areas have revealed intricate networks of smaller water systems and agricultural fields that sustained the empire’s population.
These findings shift the focus from elite narratives to the everyday resilience of Angkor’s people. Evidence of crop rotation, localized water management, and communal labor sheds light on how these communities adapted to environmental challenges. By emphasizing the lives of the people rather than just the monuments, we gain a more holistic understanding of Angkor’s rise and eventual decline.
This perspective underscores the importance of recognizing the contributions of all societal layers in sustaining complex civilizations, a lesson that resonates deeply in our contemporary world. Both the Ifugao terraces and Angkor’s settlements remind us that thriving societies are built not just on monumental achievements but on the ingenuity and collaboration of their people. These stories from the past challenge us to rethink sustainability, inspiring innovative approaches to the pressing challenges we face today.
Similarly, in Morocco, we are about to embark on a new research program in collaboration with the Université Internationale de Rabat (UIR), focusing on the systems that sustained communities in arid landscapes. Morocco’s qanat systems, subterranean aqueducts designed to transport water, reflect an extraordinary understanding of sustainability in one of the world’s most challenging environments. Alongside these qanats, the agricultural terraces, some still in limited use, offer another perspective on how communities adapted to their environment. Though many terraces were abandoned in the 1970s due to economic shifts, their remnants demonstrate how human ingenuity maximized arable land in harsh terrains, paralleling the resourcefulness observed in Angkor’s settlements.
These systems not only secured a reliable water supply for agriculture but also promoted equitable distribution, fostering cooperation in the face of scarcity. In our preliminary visit, we have learned about how local communities maintained these qanats across generations, emphasizing the crucial role of collective stewardship of shared resources.
These systems showcase the power of collaboration and technological ingenuity in managing limited resources; a lesson that resonates urgently as water scarcity becomes a critical global issue. The parallels between these historical practices and today’s challenges highlight the enduring importance of traditional ecological knowledge in crafting sustainable solutions.
Across these regions, one consistent theme emerges: resilience is deeply rooted in community agency and adaptive strategies. From the Ifugao’s terraces to Angkor’s villages and Morocco’s qanat systems and terraces, past societies thrived by recognizing their environment’s limits and potential. This is not to romanticize their lives but to acknowledge that their experiences hold valuable lessons for our modern world.
Understanding history through archaeology does more than highlight historical achievements; it prepares us to be more responsible and inclusive citizens. By examining the past, we gain insight into the diverse ways humans have navigated challenges, promoting empathy for different cultural practices and perspectives. For example, the Ifugao’s adaptive strategies challenge simplistic narratives of Indigenous peoples as static or primitive. This understanding can empower modern communities to respect and normalize Indigenous knowledge systems rather than marginalize them.
Moreover, history teaches us about the consequences of exclusion and inequity. Angkor’s decline, partly exacerbated by unsustainable resource allocation and internal social divisions, serves as a cautionary tale. Applying these lessons today, we can advocate for policies that promote equity and shared responsibility, ensuring that no group bears a disproportionate burden in times of crisis. Similarly, Morocco’s qanat systems and terraces underscore the necessity of inclusive resource management practices that consider the needs of all stakeholders.
As we step into 2025, the importance of integrating archaeological insights into contemporary policy cannot be overstated. Climate change, resource scarcity, and social inequities demand innovative solutions, and archaeology offers a repository of human experiences that can guide us. These historical strategies remind us that adaptation is not just about survival but about thriving in the face of uncertainty.
Let this new year be an opportunity to draw from the past not as a relic but as a resource. By understanding history’s lessons, we can promote empathy, inclusivity, and responsibility in our communities. In doing so, we can excavate not only artifacts but also hope — hope that through collaboration, innovation, and respect for our shared history, we can build a sustainable and equitable future. – Rappler.com
Stephen B. Acabado is professor of anthropology at the University of California-Los Angeles. He directs the Ifugao and Bicol Archaeological Projects, research programs that engage community stakeholders. He grew up in Tinambac, Camarines Sur. Follow him on bluesky @stephenacabado.bsky.social.
