Neolithic settlement sites in Western Turkey — palaeogeographic studies at Çukuriçi Höyük and Arvalya Höyük

Stock, Friederike; Ehlers, Lisa; Horejs, Barbara; Knipping, Maria; Ladstätter, Sabine; Seren, Sirri; Brückner, Helmut

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2015.10.009

Cited by 15 publications

(17 citation statements)

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“…In general, the warm and humid climate and the swampy conditions at that time (Connor et al., ; de Klerk et al., ; Laermanns et al., ), the rather short accumulation phase of Ergeta 1 and Orulu 2 (Figure ), and the similar ages at the base of Orulu 1 and Orulu 2 all suggest an intentional construction of the mounds within a short time period. This contradicts the nature of formation of tells with their successive accumulation in space and time, e.g., in Thessaly with >20,000 m² (Runnels et al., ) and in western Anatolia with ≈16,000 m² and 5000 m² (Stock et al., ). In this case, the radiocarbon ages represent maximum ages for mound construction rather than information on occupation periods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In comparison to the sizes of settlement mounds in other regions (e.g., Thessaly: >20,000 m² [Runnels et al., ], Çukuriçi Höyük: ≈16,000 m²; Arvalya Höyük: 5000 m² [Stock et al., ], Hungarian plain: >10,000 m² [Parkinson & Gyucha, ]), Flanders: 3600 m² [Ervynck et al., 2012], Groningen, NL: 75 m diameter and ≈4000 m² [van Es, ]), Ergeta 1 –with an area of ≈1250 m² and a volume of ≈4200 m³–is of comparably small size. As to the origin of the mound material, sediments of Facies 3 have a similar mean grain size as the underlying Facies 2.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Çilingiroğlu, Çevik, & Çilingiroğlu, ). Other famous sites of comparable age are Ulucak Höyük ≈20 km east of Izmir (Çilingiroğlu et al., ), Çukuriçi Höyük and Arvalya Höyük near Selçuk/Ephesos (Horejs, ; Stock et al., ) and Barcın Höyük (Groenhuijzen, Kluiving, Gerrtsen, & Künzel, ). All of these mounds are located in fertile plains in proximity to the coast and a mountainous hinterland, and are thus located in strategically important positions.…”

Section: Regional Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bronze Age settlement mounds on the Colchian plain at the Black Sea coast of Georgia: A geoarchaeological perspective

et al. 2017

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Situated between the Enguri and Khobistskali rivers, more than 30 settlement mounds (locally named Dikhagudzuba) provide evidence for a relatively densely populated landscape in the coastal lowlands of western Georgia during the Bronze Age. Compared to older mounds in eastern Georgia and other regions, these mounds differ not only in age but also in their average size and spatial distribution. Based on the interpretation of nine sediment cores, drone survey and structure‐from‐motion photogrammetry techniques, our study aims at (i) establishing a chronostratigraphic framework for the mounds based on 14C dating; (ii) reconstructing possible phases and gaps in human occupation; (iii) determining potential source areas of the mounds’ construction material; and (iv) identifying the environmental conditions at the time of their use. The three investigated mounds are similar in dimension and stratigraphy. Anthropogenic layers could clearly be identified and separated from the natural alluvial deposits below. According to the 14C age estimates, the mounds date to the first half of the 2nd millennium B.C.; this confirms the archaeological interpretation of their Bronze Age origin. While only one construction phase is assumed for two of the mounds, stratigraphic analysis suggests a successive enlargement of a third mound over at least 470 years. Paleoenvironmental conditions in the vicinity of the mounds were dominated by swampy, fluvial (channel) to alluvial (overbank) processes, as attested by river‐bank deposits and floodplain alluvium.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Regional Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bronze Age settlement mounds on the Colchian plain at the Black Sea coast of Georgia: A geoarchaeological perspective

et al. 2017

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“…For many civilizations, a connection to the sea was an important factor in establishing a flourishing settlement. In the Aegean, this statement is, for example, supported by the Neolithic settlements of Hoca Çeşme in Thrace (Başaran, ; Özbek, ), Hamaylıtarla on the Gallipoli peninsula (Özbek, ) and Çukuriçi Höyük near ancient Ephesus (Horejs, ; Horejs et al ., ; Stock et al ., ). All of them were situated <4 km from the sea, much closer than they are today (Ammerman et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Elaia, Pergamon's maritime satellite: the rise and fall of an ancient harbour city shaped by shoreline migration

Seeliger

Pint

Feuser

et al. 2019

J Quaternary Science

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Throughout human history, communication and trade have been key to society. Because maritime trade facilitated the rapid transportation of passengers and freight at relatively low cost, harbours became hubs for traffic, trade and exchange. This general statement holds true for the Pergamenian kingdom, which ruled wide parts of today's western Turkey during Hellenistic times. Its harbour, located at the city of Elaia on the eastern Aegean shore, was used extensively for commercial and military purposes. This study reconstructs the coastal evolution in and around the ancient harbour of Elaia and compares the observed environmental modifications with archaeological and historical findings. We use micropalaeontological, sedimentological and geochemical proxies to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental dynamics and evolution of the ancient harbour. The geoarchaeological results confirm the archaeological and historical evidence for Elaia's primacy during Hellenistic and early Roman times, and the city's gradual decline during the late Roman period. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that Elaia holds a unique position as a harbour city during ancient times in the eastern Aegean region, because it was not greatly influenced by the high sediment supply associated with river deltas. Consequently, no dredging of the harbour basins is documented, creating exceptional geo‐bioarchives for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.

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“…The impact of humans was already proven during the Neolithic period when small farming communities started to practise agriculture (Ruddiman and Thomson, 2001;Ruddiman et al, 2008;Ruddiman and Ellis, 2009;Derin, 2012;Lichter and Meriç, 2012;Foley et al, 2013;Anthony et al, 2014;Stock et al, 2015). However, by then, only some examples are known where extensive deforestation took place (Marriner et al, 2012;Kaniewski et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human impact on Holocene sediment dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean – the example of the Roman harbour of Ephesus

Stock

Knipping

Pint

et al. 2016

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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During the past millennia, many erosion and accumulation processes have been modified by anthropogenic impact. This holds especially true for the environs of ancient settlements and their harbours along the Mediterranean coasts. Our multi-proxy investigations in the Roman harbour and the harbour canal of Ephesus (western Turkey) reveals that humans have significantly triggered soil erosion during the last three millennia. Since the eighth century BC, and especially since the Hellenistic period, a high sedimentation rate indicates fast alluviation and delta progradation of the Küçük Menderes. Deforestation, agriculture (especially ploughing) and grazing (especially goats) were the main reasons for erosion of the river catchment area. One consequence was significant siltation of the Hellenistic/Roman harbour basin. This sediment trap archives the human impact, which was strongly enhanced from Hellenistic/Roman to Byzantine times (second/first centuries BC to the sixth/seventh centuries AD), evidenced by high sedimentation rates, raised values of heavy metal contaminations [lead (Pb), copper (Cu)], the occurrence of fruit tree pollen and of intestinal parasites. From the middle to the end of the first millennium AD, the influence of Ephesus declined, which resulted in a decrease of human impact. Studies of several ancient settlements around the Mediterranean Sea tell a comparable story. They also confirm that during their most flourishing periods the human impact totally overprinted the climatic one. To detect the latter, geo-bioarchives of relatively pristine areas have to be investigated in detail.

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Neolithic settlement sites in Western Turkey — palaeogeographic studies at Çukuriçi Höyük and Arvalya Höyük

Cited by 15 publications

References 15 publications

Bronze Age settlement mounds on the Colchian plain at the Black Sea coast of Georgia: A geoarchaeological perspective

Bronze Age settlement mounds on the Colchian plain at the Black Sea coast of Georgia: A geoarchaeological perspective

Elaia, Pergamon's maritime satellite: the rise and fall of an ancient harbour city shaped by shoreline migration

Human impact on Holocene sediment dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean – the example of the Roman harbour of Ephesus

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