An Overview of the Geomorphological Characteristics of the Pergamon Micro-Region (Bakırçay and Madra River Catchments, Aegean Region, West Turkey)

Abstract

Current landforms are the basis for understanding past geomorphodynamics and human activities. Based on multiple materials and methods, including geomorphometric analyses of a digital elevation model and visual interpretations of satellite images, different landscape units of the Bakırçay and Madra River catchments in the environs of ancient Pergamon are described. The area was mainly shaped by tectonics that formed a horst-and-graben structure; small Miocene horsts and NE-trending subgrabens in the Kozak and Yunt Dağı Mountains were separated by the NEE-trending Plio-Pleistocene Bergama Graben. The asymmetry in relief, drainage network, and sediment accumulation between the Kozak Mountains to the north and the Yunt Dağı Mountains to the south of the lower Bakırçay plain characterize the Pergamon Micro-Region. The regional relief characteristics, with wide flat basin and plateau areas, are suitable for agriculture. Complemented by its richness in natural resources, the Pergamon Micro-Region became a preferred settlement area, with evidence of human impact since the Hellenistic–Roman period at the latest. As a consequence of settlement activities, several landscape engineering measures were implemented simultaneously with a parallel change in morphodynamics.

Mid- to Late Holocene geomorphodynamics in a long-term settled mountain catchment in the Pergamon micro-region, western Turkey

“…The degree of reaction to 9.9% HCl was applied as an indicator for the amount of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) (Jahn et al, 2006). A summary classification of the sediment description can be found in Yang et al (2022). Sediment samples (3-to 5-cm-thick pieces, n = 191) for geochemical analyses were collected according to the unit thickness and their position to unit.…”

“…The sediment proxies in this study are reported in median and MAD (in parentheses) values and are grouped using an equal interval classification of the data (Table 2). Raw/processed data and R code (R Core Team, 2021) can be found in the data set in Pangaea (Yang et al, 2022).…”

“…In this microregion, diverse archaeological sites (e.g., settlements, farms, and luxury agricultural estates) were located in different geomorphological settings, including plains, plain-mountain transitional areas, intra-mountain basins, and small tributary valleys (Horejs, 2011a(Horejs, , 2014Pirson, 2020Pirson, , 2022. These landforms are potentially favorable for small settlements because of the proximity to fertile floodplains for agriculture and mountains for horticulture or pastoralism (Sommerey, 2008;Yang et al, 2021). Rural areas were also highly influenced by the rising demand for agricultural products during the period of transformation (Knitter, 2013;Laabs and Knitter, 2021).…”

Of Animal Husbandry and Food Production—A First Step towards a Modular Agent-Based Modelling Platform for Socio-Ecological Dynamics

“…The study area is located in western Turkey, c. 100 km north of ˙Izmir (Figure 1; for a detailed environmental description of the study area and its development, see, e.g., [36,37]).…”

“…Additionally, due to the high soil fertility of the Bakırçay floodplain, these settlements also relied on additional agricultural products, such as corn, legumes and olives, cf. [36,49,50].…”