LEE- Yer Sistem Bilimi-Doktora

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http://hdl.handle.net/11527/19501

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Konu "Archaeological settlements" ile LEE- Yer Sistem Bilimi-Doktora'a göz atma
  • Öge
    The impact of paleoclimatic changes on the archaeological settlement patterns in the Gediz Graben (Western Türkiye) during the late pleistocene and holocene
    (Graduate School, 2024-05-28) Kolbüken, Mesut ; Arıkan, Bülent ; 601192009 ; Earth System Science
    The Gediz Graben has been an attractive area for human occupation due to its suitable geographical features such as the large arable land coupled with water sources that supported animals and plants attracted human groups and societies at different archaeological periods. The graben is one of the highly sensitive areas in the Anatolian Peninsula to climatic changes as the climatic patterns in the region have been controlled by both polar and tropical circulation systems. Therefore, the area provides a great opportunity to assess human-climate interaction. This research aims to reconstruct paleoclimate dynamics of the Gediz Graben since the late Last Glacial covering the last 21 ka and to contextualize human-environment interactions in archaeological settlement patterns in the region by using a multiple approach through different paleoclimate models (the Macrophysical Climate Model and CHELSA-TraCE21k) for paleoprecipitation and paleotemperature patterns and a new palynological record from core MAR03-02C in the Aegean Sea for the reconstruction of paleovegetation patterns with paleoclimate interpretations in the surrounding landmass. Based on the results of the paleoclimate models, in the late Last Glacial Period and the early Holocene, the climatic conditions of the graben were wetter (except paleoprecipitation of the CHELSA-TraCE21k) and colder than today. During the middle and late Holocene, the climate was generally stable, and near-modern patterns prevailed around 7 ka in the graben while the climatic shifts occurred at smaller amplitudes for shorter time periods in comparison to the previous periods. This pattern was recorded in variations in Mediterranean/temperate forests and herb/steppe plants. In the cold and dry late Last Glacial Period, low amounts of arboreal pollen and high percentages of cold/drought-tolerant Pinus and Cedrus trees with high amounts of herbaceous and steppe pollen, including Artemisia, Cyperaceae, and Asteraceae Cichorioideae were recorded. Warm-temperate and Mediterranean trees, consisting of mainly deciduous Quercus and Quercus ilex-type trees, reached their maximum from the onset of the Holocene at ~11.7 to 6 ka, corresponding to the Holocene Climate Optimum. Subsequently, general aridity trends and nearly modern climate patterns prevailed. Variations in the paleovegetation, the paleoprecipitation and paleotemperature patterns indicate major climatic shifts associated with the Greenland Stadial 2, the Bølling-Allerød, the Younger Dryas, and the Holocene Climatic Optimum and some rapid climate changes, such as the 11.1, 9.4 8.2, 5.9, and the Little Ice Age cold events; a short warm interval of the Medieval warm period during the Holocene. In Gediz Graben, the patterns from the paleoclimate models and the palynological record show similarity with local and regional proxy data in the eastern Mediterranean. The archaeological settlements in the plain, which increased from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age except the Iron Age, gathered around water resources. The results suggest that the paleoenvironmental processes (the paleolakes, paleoclimatic conditions, paleovegetation patterns) contributed to the decisions concerning the locales of archaeological settlements on the Gediz Plain. Anthropogenic indicators plants with the onset of the Neolithic come into slight in the region. Especially, during the last 3.5 ka when cultivated plants became prominent in the pollen records (e.g., Olea europea and Pistacia), with a significant decline in warm-temperate trees until 1.2 ka, suggesting that the Beyşehir Occupation Phase is also recorded in the palynological records of core MAR03-02C in the Aegean Sea. As a result of this study, significant findings regarding paleoenvironmental changes in the region and human-environment interactions have been obtained. The results underscore the importance of making future plans regarding human-environment relationships in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin, where Türkiye is prominently located, which notably demonstrates the impacts of the current climate change crisis. This highlights the necessity of taking measures to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis, strengthening societal resilience, and conserving natural resources.