Introducing the methods of archaeoclimatology, the authors measure the relative locus of the monsoons, the intensity of winter rains and the volume of water in the rivers in the Upper Indus, in the region of Harappa. They also note the adoption of a multi-cropping agricultural system as a possible strategy designed to adjust to changing conditions over time. They find that around 3500 BC the volume of water in the rivers increases, and the rivers flood, implying annual soil refreshment and the consequent development of agriculture. By contrast, from around 2100 BC the river flow begins to fall while the winter rains increase. This time-bracket correlates nicely with the brief flourishing of Harappa. The locally derived evidence from Harappa combined with the Beas survey data provide a model for understanding the abandonment of settlements in the Upper Indus and possibly the wider civilisation.
A geo-archeological survey in the Lower Jordan Valley, Israel, revealed the existence of more than forty prehistoric locations in open air context. They provide a continuous record of Upper Paleolithic through Neolithic activity in this part of the Levant over the interval 20,000-6000 BP. The present report outlines the paleo-geographic settings of the prehistoric occupations. This is attempted through geomorphological and stratigraphie investigations which document the paleo-environmental sequence. Settlement distributions in the Lower Jordan Valley may be correlated with these paleo-environmental sequences.
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