Subsistence strategies and vegetation development at Aceramic Neolithic Körtik Tepe, southeastern Anatolia, Turkey

Rössner, Corinna; Deckers, Katleen; Benz, Marion; Özkaya, Vecihi; Riehl, Simone

doi:10.1007/s00334-017-0641-z

Cited by 22 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…These sites are dominated by large to medium-seeded wild grasses, indeterminate specimens and small-seeded taxa, respectively. Despite these differences in the dominant groups, wild grasses have been regarded as important food resources at all three sites, possibly representing staples at Ohalo II and Körtik Tepe [ 40 , 49 , 60 , 73 , 74 ]. Wild progenitors are completely absent at Pinarbaşi, where small-seeded taxa were possibly gathered for fuel or construction materials [ 75 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, many sites in the Zagros and Taurus Mountains and the adjacent lowlands provide good evidence for diverse wild grasses gathered as food sources during the PPNA, with large to medium-seeded taxa being more abundant than the wild cereals. Whereas at Hallan Çemi and Demirköy the gathered grasses did not contribute a large portion to the whole charred assemblage and might represent a minor food resource, they are regarded as major foods and even staples at all other sites of this region included in the present analysis [ 18 , 51 , 60 , 64 ]. Pre-domestication cultivation was recently proposed for Körtik Tepe and Chogha Golan [ 16 , 60 , 64 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whereas at Hallan Çemi and Demirköy the gathered grasses did not contribute a large portion to the whole charred assemblage and might represent a minor food resource, they are regarded as major foods and even staples at all other sites of this region included in the present analysis [ 18 , 51 , 60 , 64 ]. Pre-domestication cultivation was recently proposed for Körtik Tepe and Chogha Golan [ 16 , 60 , 64 ]. However, on both sites the wild progenitor grains are less abundant than the entirety of non-cereal taxa.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This assumption was in accordance with the overall development of early Holocene subsistence strategies in the Levantine corridor, but at the same time raises the question of whether this view is applicable to the aceramic Neolithic as a whole? Particularly as scholars seem to agree upon a substantial diversity in subsistence strategies that characterize the late Pleistocene and early Holocene human groups in the Near East [ 12 , 18 , 51 , 54 – 60 ]. Moreover, several rich archaeobotanical assemblages from the Levantine corridor have been investigated and published since 2004, making it sensible to re-evaluate the relation between wild grass use and emerging cereal cultivation in this region.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A systematic review of wild grass exploitation in relation to emerging cereal cultivation throughout the Epipalaeolithic and aceramic Neolithic of the Fertile Crescent

et al. 2018

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The present study investigates the occurrence of wild grasses at Epipalaeolithic and aceramic Neolithic sites in the Near East in order to assess their role in subsistence economies alongside the emergence of cereal cultivation. We use Chogha Golan in the foothills of the central Zagros Mountains (ca. 11.7–9.6 ka cal. BP) as a case study, where the archaeobotanical data suggest the frequent exploitation of a complex of wild grasses for almost 2,000 years. Domesticated emmer replaced these wild grasses as the major food resources towards the end of occupation at the site (ca. 9.8 ka cal. BP). We discuss possible implications of this development and conclude that the traditional concept of pre-domestication cultivation seems unsuited for explaining the patterns from Chogha Golan. These data are in good accordance with the overall picture in the Zagros Mountains, where wild grasses were routinely gathered throughout the early Holocene. In contrast, wild grasses were gradually replaced by wild cereals in the Levantine corridor since the end of the Pleistocene. However, several sites located in this region provide evidence for a continuous exploitation of wild grasses alongside emerging cereal cultivation and most of these taxa were part of the earliest segetal floras that evolved with the appearance of domestic cereals throughout the 11th millennium cal. BP. Some sites contemporary to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B still provide evidence for the usage of wild grasses, which possibly reflects the utilization of edible arable weeds and continuous gathering of wild grasses by more mobile groups.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A systematic review of wild grass exploitation in relation to emerging cereal cultivation throughout the Epipalaeolithic and aceramic Neolithic of the Fertile Crescent

et al. 2018

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“…Comparison of Lake Eski Acıgöl (SE Anatolia) and Lake Van (E Anatolia) records show a rapid switch from Artemisia-chenopod to grass steppe at the end of the Pleistocene, and the increase and subsequent decrease of Pistacia during the first half of the Holocene [40]. Rössner et al [41] propose for the research area an oak decrease in the Younger Dryas, replaced by dense stands of annual grasses. However, a postulated renewed spread of oak woodland in the Early Holocene is not reflected in the available archaeobotanical data from Göbekli Tepe, where there are high ratios of grasses, pistachio and almond (cf.…”

Section: Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Göbekli Tepe: A Brief Description of the Environmental Development in the Surroundings of the UNESCO World Heritage Site

Knitter

Braun

Lee

et al. 2019

Land

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This contribution provides a first characterization of the environmental development for the surroundings of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Göbekli Tepe. We base our analyses on a literature review that covers the environmental components of prevailing bedrock and soils, model- and proxy-based climatic development, and vegetation. The spatio-temporal scales that are covered are mainly the Eastern Mediterranean region and the Late Quaternary—whereby special attention is given to available data from the close vicinity of Göbekli Tepe. Information on Late Quaternary geomorphodynamics is largely absent for the environs of Göbekli Tepe, we therefore included remote sensing data, different terrain modeling approaches and field-based geomorphological mapping to gain insights into past process dynamics. The findings indicate that the environmental conditions at Göbekli Tepe during its time of occupation differed significantly from today, showing denser vegetation and a wide spread sediment cover. Different hypotheses are developed that aim to guide future research on environmental changes and their variations during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. These activities are crucial for a more profound understanding of the environment of the site, its potential perception by humans and therefore for the development of narratives on their landscape creation motives.

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Auditory exostosis: Exploring the daily life at an early sedentary population (Körtik Tepe, Turkey)

Koruyucu

Şahin

Delibaş

et al. 2018

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Auditory exostosis (AE) is a bony anomaly located on the tympanic portion of the temporal bone. Cold water, wind chill, and the effects of temperature are considered to be contributors to the development of AE. It is frequently encountered among surfers, lifeguards, whitewater kayakers, swimmers, and divers. Accordingly, there is a strong relationship between prolonged exposure to cold water and the frequency and grade of AE. For this reason, AE can be accepted as an occupational anomaly.In this study, AE from Körtik Tepe, Turkey, were analysed to understand the lifestyle of early hunter gatherer populations from Anatolia. One hundred twenty-eight individuals and 174 temporal bones from Körtik Tepe were examined for the frequency and severity (graded) of AE. Forty-five individuals (35.2%) have exostosis of various sizes. Half of 40 male individuals and 42.5% of females (n: 40) have AE with no statistically significant difference between the sexes. First observed in individuals 7 years of age, severity and frequency of AE increase with age. Besides increasing in frequency, the increase in size of AE suggest a continuous and prolonged exposure to cold water.The people of Körtik Tepe, which is surrounded by numerous freshwater sources, must have been subjected to cold water through activities such as bathing, cleaning, swimming, and playing in the water, as well as fishing. Our results suggest that the lifestyle of early sedentary people in Körtik Tepe was rather egalitarian with little or no gender differences and was closely connected to aquatic sources.Bioarchaeological data suggest that Körtik Tepe can be accepted as a community of hunter-gatherer-fishermen.

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Subsistence strategies and vegetation development at Aceramic Neolithic Körtik Tepe, southeastern Anatolia, Turkey

Cited by 22 publications

References 47 publications

A systematic review of wild grass exploitation in relation to emerging cereal cultivation throughout the Epipalaeolithic and aceramic Neolithic of the Fertile Crescent

A systematic review of wild grass exploitation in relation to emerging cereal cultivation throughout the Epipalaeolithic and aceramic Neolithic of the Fertile Crescent

Göbekli Tepe: A Brief Description of the Environmental Development in the Surroundings of the UNESCO World Heritage Site

Auditory exostosis: Exploring the daily life at an early sedentary population (Körtik Tepe, Turkey)

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