Introduction: Quantification of human–environment interactions in the past

The introduction to the special issue "Quantification of human–environment interactions in the past", comprising 8 articles (plus the introduction). This special issue is a contribution to PAGES' Focus 4 (human–climate–ecosystem interactions) theme and specifically the Land Use and Cover, Soil and Sediment, and Water Themes which ran up until 2014. The volume emerged from the PAGES-supported meeting: ‘Towards a more accurate quantification of human–environment interactions in the past’ held in Leuven, Belgium from 3–7 February 2014.