Late Holocene Environmental Change and the Record of Human Impact at Gravgaz near Sagalassos, Southwest Turkey (original) (raw)
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Quaternary Science Reviews, 1999
Percentage, concentration and accumulation pollen data together with diatom and non-siliceous microfossil data are presented for the site of Go¨lhisar Go¨lü (37°8N, 29°36E; elevation 930 m), a small intramontane lake in Burdur Province, southwest Turkey. Microfossil assemblages from the longest sediment core (GHA: 813 cm) record changes in local and regional vegetation and lake productivity over the last &9500 years. Pollen spectra indicate that vegetation progressed from an open landscape with an increase in arboreal pollen occurring &8500 BP to mixed forest comprising oak, pine and juniper until around 3000 BP (Cal &1240 BC) when a human occupation phase becomes discernible from the pollen spectra. This occurs shortly after the deposition of a volcanic tephra layer which originated from the Minoan eruption of Santorini (Thera) and radiocarbon dated to 3330$70 yr BP (Cal &1600 BC). This human occupation phase is comparable to the Beys ,ehir Occupation phase recorded at other sites in southwest Turkey and involved forest clearance and the cultivation of fruit trees such as Olea, Juglans, Castanea and »itis together with arable cereal growing and pastoralism. The presence of pollen types associated with the Beys ,ehir Occupation phase in deposits above the Santorini tephra layer confirms a Late Bronze Age/early Anatolian Dark Age date for its commencement. Since &3000 BP notable changes in aquatic ecology associated with tephra deposition and subsequent nutrient and sediment flux from the lake catchment are recorded. The Beys ,ehir Occupation phase at Go¨lhisar Go¨lü came to an end around 1300 BP (Cla AD &700) when pine appears to have become the dominant forest tree.
The Holocene, 2003
Annually laminated sediments from Lake Van, spanning about 13000 varve years, were sampled for stable-isotopic, geochemical, pollen and charcoal analyses in order to find evidence of past regional climatic changes and human impact in the semi-arid region of eastern Anatolia, Turkey. The Lateglacial period was cold and dry, with steppe vegetation and saline lake water. During the Younger Dryas the lake level dropped dramatically, and the vegetation tumed to a semi-desert. Geochemical and isotopic records indicate a strong increase in moisture at the onset of the Holocene, and Arteinisia-chenopod steppes were partly replaced by grass steppe and pistachio scrub. A delay of about 3000 years in the expansion of deciduous oak woodlands and high steppe-fire frequencies suggest dry spring and summer weather during the early Holocene. At 8200 yr BP, a shift in the regional climate regime facilitated the transport of more moisture into the interior areas of the Taurus mountains and caused a c...
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2007
Late Holocene vegetation and geomorphological history is reconstructed from a 800 cm long high-resolution palynological and sedimentological record sampled from Bereket, a 6.3 km 2 semi-arid to sub-humid intramontane basin in the Western Taurus Mountains (southwest Turkey). The well-dated Bereket record provides from cal. 360 BC to cal. AD 400auniquerecordofbiennial−to−decadallandscapechangescausedprimarilybyintensivehumanimpactsagainstabackgroundofglobalclimatevariations.Duringthisperiod,landclearancewithmultiplefireepisodes,intensiveagriculturalpracticesandgrazingpressureprofoundlyalteredthepre−existingwarmmixedforest.Increasingmoistureavailabilitysincecal.400 a unique record of biennial-to-decadal landscape changes caused primarily by intensive human impacts against a background of global climate variations. During this period, land clearance with multiple fire episodes, intensive agricultural practices and grazing pressure profoundly altered the pre-existing warm mixed forest. Increasing moisture availability since cal. 400auniquerecordofbiennial−to−decadallandscapechangescausedprimarilybyintensivehumanimpactsagainstabackgroundofglobalclimatevariations.Duringthisperiod,landclearancewithmultiplefireepisodes,intensiveagriculturalpracticesandgrazingpressureprofoundlyalteredthepre−existingwarmmixedforest.Increasingmoistureavailabilitysincecal.280 BC has acted as a trigger to crop cultivation and mountain-adapted arboriculture starting with Juglans regia during the Beys -ehir Occupation Phase. Pollen from olive groves have been recorded above 1400 m a.s.l. only at cal. 23BCandhavedisappeareddefinitivelyatcal.AD23 BC and have disappeared definitively at cal. AD 23BCandhavedisappeareddefinitivelyatcal.AD294. During this phase, the sediment accumulation rate was extremely high, reflecting landscape instability. From cal. AD 450 to recent times, the area has mainly recorded pasture and minor cultivation activities reflected in stable soils and thin colluvial depths. r
Geodinamica Acta, 2016
Radiometric and palynological data of the Upper Oligocene-Lower Miocene Soma Formation from the Kalkım-Gönen Basin yield new results related to age and palynological contents. In this study, Upper Oligocene strata from the Danişment and Linfa areas and Lower Miocene strata from the Bengiler area were sampled palynologically and for radiometric dating. The Danişment assemblage, which is older than the Linfa assemblages, mainly contains coniferous and evergreen to deciduous mixed mesophytic forest elements. Relatively high quantities of the altitudinal plants Picea and Abies, indicate a cooler palaeoclimate. The Linfa associations mainly include coniferous and riparian elements. Pollen of the riparian plant Alnus and Taxodiaceae indicative for the swamp forest community was predominant, probably as a result of a high lake level. There is a hiatus during the Oligocene-Miocene transition, probably showing a non-depositional phase and sea-level fall indicating the Mi-1 glaciation event. Higher in the sequence, the Aquitanian Bengiler sediments include high amounts of coniferous forest elements as well as components indicative for the evergreen and deciduous mesophytic forest and also riparian forest and swamp forest. Due to presence of thermophilous taxa Reveesia, Mastixiaceae and Arecaceae, a warm and humid palaeoclimate is inferred according to quantitative analyses using the Coexistence Approach.
The geoarchaeology of Holocene environments and land use at Kazane Höyük, S.E. Turkey
Geoarchaeology, 1997
Geoarchaeological investigations at Kazane Höyü k, S.E. Turkey demonstrate a record of Holocene environmental change, fluctuating agricultural potential, and human environmental impact. A mid-Holocene alluvial phase with seasonal swamps and steady channel flows suggests a moister climatic regime than at present. This was a suitable landscape for raising pigs and cattle (reflected in the fauna of archaeological levels from this period), and high-yield cultivation of cereals. These environmental conditions continued from the Chalcolithic period through the Early Bronze Age. Subsequent desiccation led to downcutting of the streams and drying out of the marshy environs around the site, although the occupation continued well into the Middle Bronze Age. Alluviation was renewed again in the Medieval period. The lowermost of these Late Holocene deposits indicate fine-grained floodplain and levee development suggestive of a climatic amelioration with later indications of sediment disturbances and colluviation related to human land use and deforestation in Medieval times.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
Past vegetation change and the influence of climate change and anthropogenic pressure during the Holocene is constructed from a series of palynological records sampled from three locations within the territory of the antique site of Sagalassos. The disappearance of the original deciduous oak woodlands and increases in anthropogenic indicator species around 5300 and 4300 b.c. correspond with an increase in settlements in the region. A period of drought following the deforestation may have hampered the recovery of deciduous oak. The timing of the onset of the Beyşehir Occupation Phase (BO-Phase) in the territory differs between locations, estimates ranging from ca. 1000–800 b.c. to the start of the Hellenistic period (334 b.c.). The most intense period of arboriculture coincides with the Roman and late-Roman periods. Increases in human pressure on the landscape as reflected in the pollen record correspond with an increased rate of sedimentation and fire activity. The timing of the end of the BO-Phase again differs between locations. Estimates range from the 4th century a.d. to the mid 7th century a.d., when a region-wide shift to dry environmental conditions is observed. Numerical analyses show that post BO-Phase vegetation change is largely driven by climate and displays a succession of dry and wet periods that coincided with well-defined European climate shifts, including the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age. Current agricultural activities in the region are of a very recent (20th century) origin.
Late Holocene local vegetation dynamics in the marsh of Gravgaz (southwest Turkey)
2002
Late Holocene local vegetation succession is reconstructed in two different sites in a small-scale open marsh ecosystem in southwest Turkey. This is done by comparison of the fossil local pollen assemblage zones in two cores with the local pollen data of 40 surface samples from the marsh. The pollen data are supplemented with sedimentological and archaeological data. The insertion of the mean pollen data of the local pollen zones as passive samples into the canonical correspondence analysis triplot of the modern samples allows us to detect modern analogues for the fossil pollen zones. From this numerical comparative approach it is concluded that the marsh area was relatively dry until ca 2500 BP. After 2500 BP the area shifts towards a wet area dominated by Sparganium and/or Typha angustifolia. A diversification of the marsh vegetation starts at ca 2400 / 2300 BP. The area around one core site seems to have been situated in an area with slowly flowing source water, whereas the other core site is likely to have been characterised by damp conditions. The steadily increasing dryness of the marsh area starts after ca 680 BP. The drying up appears to be associated with recent agricultural and grazing pressure.
Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018
This study presents the first pollen record from Lake Hazar, eastern Turkey, together with previously published multi-proxy records from core Hz11-P03. The data provide insight into multi-centennial-scale climatic changes during the late Pleistocene-Holocene period. The onset of the Younger Dryas was marked by an increase in the number of herbaceous plants (such as those in the families Poaceae and Asteraceae and the genus Centaurea) and lake level lowering with a À73 m erosional terrace on the lake margin. At the beginning of the early Holocene, the expansion of deciduous Quercus was attributed to significant afforestation due to high humidity that was presumably sufficient for the establishment of the oak forest. An increase in deciduous Quercus was maintained until the middle Holocene. An increase in herbaceous plants, and lower lake levels occurred during the late Holocene as a result of cold and dry climatic conditions. Moreover, a deciduous Quercus delay was not detected in Lake Hazar, indicating that the presence of a warm and humid climate created favourable conditions for oaks to expand at the onset of the early Holocene.
Early to Mid-Holocene Vegetation History and Human Settlement in Anatolia
Winds of Change: Environment and Society in Anatolia (editors: Christopher H. Roosevelt, John Haldon). Koç University Press & University of Chicago Press, 2022
In this chapter we discuss the vegetation history and palaeoecology of Anatolian woodlands, focusing on insights gained through the analysis of anthracological remains from prehistoric habitation sites. In the semi-arid regions of Anatolia, anthracology provides direct evidence of the presence and spread of pioneer woodland species, which often go undetected by pollen analysis, including the entomophilous Rosaceae (e.g., Amygdalus) and poor and/or irregular pollen dispersers (Juniperus, Pistacia, and riparian taxa such as Salicaceae and Fraxinus). We also review anthracological data from Anatolia indicating the development of woodland management practices and anthropogenic woodland habitats by Neolithic agropastoral communities during the early to mid-Holocene period.