Universität zu Köln

Clarke, Joanne, Brooks, Nick ORCID: 0000-0002-5073-9386, Banning, Edward B. ORCID: 0000-0002-4281-7639, Bar-Matthews, Miryam, Campbell, Stuart, Clare, Lee, Cremaschi, Mauro, di Lernia, Savino, Drake, Nick, Gallinaro, Marina, Manning, Sturt, Nicoll, Kathleen, Philip, Graham, Rosen, Steve, Schoop, Ulf-Dietrich ORCID: 0000-0003-0796-872X, Tafuri, Mary Anne ORCID: 0000-0002-2913-7225, Weninger, Bernhard ORCID: 0000-0003-2390-6529 and Zerboni, Andrea (2016). Climatic changes and social transformations in the Near East and North Africa during the 'long' 4th millennium BC: A comparative study of environmental and archaeological evidence. Quat. Sci. Rev., 136. S. 96 - 122. OXFORD: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. ISSN 0277-3791

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Abstract

This paper explores the possible links between rapid climate change (RCC) and social change in the Near East and surrounding regions (Anatolia, central Syria, southern Israel, Mesopotamia, Cyprus and eastern and central Sahara) during the 'long' 4th millennium (similar to 4500-3000) BC. Twenty terrestrial and 20 marine climate proxies are used to identify long-term trends in humidity involving transitions from humid to arid conditions and vice versa. The frequency distribution of episodes of relative aridity across these records is calculated for the period 6300-2000 BC, so that the results may be interpreted in the context of the established arid episodes associated with RCC around 6200 and 2200 BC (the 8.2 and 4.2 kyr events). We identify two distinct episodes of heightened aridity in the early-mid 4th, and late 4th millennium BC. These episodes cluster strongly at 3600-3700 and 3100-3300 BC. There is also evidence of localised aridity spikes in the 5th and 6th millennia BC. These results are used as context for the interpretation of regional and local archaeological records with a particular focus on case studies from western Syria, the middle Euphrates, southern Israel and Cyprus. Interpretation of the records involves the construction of plausible narratives of human-climate interaction informed by concepts of adaptation and resilience from the literature on contemporary (i.e. 21st century) climate change and adaptation. The results are presented alongside well-documented examples of climatically-influenced societal change in the central and eastern Sahara, where detailed geomorphological studies of ancient environments have been undertaken in tandem with archaeological research. While the narratives for the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean remain somewhat speculative, the use of resilience and adaptation frameworks allows for a more nuanced treatment of human climate interactions and recognises the diversity and context-specificity of human responses to climatic and environmental change. Our results demonstrate that there is a need for more local environmental data to be collected 'at source' during archaeological excavations. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Clarke, Joanne UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Brooks, Nick UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-5073-9386 UNSPECIFIED Banning, Edward B. UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-4281-7639 UNSPECIFIED Bar-Matthews, Miryam UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Campbell, Stuart UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Clare, Lee UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Cremaschi, Mauro UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED di Lernia, Savino UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Drake, Nick UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Gallinaro, Marina UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Manning, Sturt UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Nicoll, Kathleen UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Philip, Graham UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Rosen, Steve UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Schoop, Ulf-Dietrich UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-0796-872X UNSPECIFIED Tafuri, Mary Anne UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-2913-7225 UNSPECIFIED Weninger, Bernhard UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-2390-6529 UNSPECIFIED Zerboni, Andrea UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-281261
DOI:	10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.10.003
Journal or Publication Title:	Quat. Sci. Rev.
Volume:	136
Page Range:	S. 96 - 122
Date:	2016
Publisher:	PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Place of Publication:	OXFORD
ISSN:	0277-3791
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language HOLOCENE CLIMATE; MEDITERRANEAN REGION; HUMID PERIOD; CHALCOLITHIC PERIOD; CULTURAL-EVOLUTION; HUMAN OCCUPATION; SOUTHERN LEVANT; TADRART ACACUS; LAKE ZERIBAR; NEGEV DESERT Multiple languages Geography, Physical; Geosciences, Multidisciplinary Multiple languages
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/28126