Stock, Friederike ORCID: 0000-0003-4182-3778, Knipping, Maria, Pint, Anna, Ladstaetter, Sabine, Delile, Hugo, Heiss, Andreas G. ORCID: 0000-0002-2989-7259, Laermanns, Hannes, Mitchell, Piers D., Ployer, Rene, Steskal, Martin, Thanheiser, Ursula, Urz, Ralf, Wennrich, Volker ORCID: 0000-0003-3617-1963 and Brueckner, Helmut (2016). Human impact on Holocene sediment dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean - the example of the Roman harbour of Ephesus. Earth Surf. Process. Landf., 41 (7). S. 980 - 997. HOBOKEN: WILEY. ISSN 1096-9837

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Abstract

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 Kucuk 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-bio-archives of relatively pristine areas have to be investigated in detail. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Item Type: Journal Article
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCIDORCID Put Code
Stock, FriederikeUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0003-4182-3778UNSPECIFIED
Knipping, MariaUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Pint, AnnaUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Ladstaetter, SabineUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Delile, HugoUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Heiss, Andreas G.UNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0002-2989-7259UNSPECIFIED
Laermanns, HannesUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Mitchell, Piers D.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Ployer, ReneUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Steskal, MartinUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Thanheiser, UrsulaUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Urz, RalfUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Wennrich, VolkerUNSPECIFIEDorcid.org/0000-0003-3617-1963UNSPECIFIED
Brueckner, HelmutUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
URN: urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-272212
DOI: 10.1002/esp.3914
Journal or Publication Title: Earth Surf. Process. Landf.
Volume: 41
Number: 7
Page Range: S. 980 - 997
Date: 2016
Publisher: WILEY
Place of Publication: HOBOKEN
ISSN: 1096-9837
Language: English
Faculty: Unspecified
Divisions: Unspecified
Subjects: no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:
KeywordsLanguage
INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE; ANCIENT HARBOR; MARGINAL MARINE; ENVIRONMENTAL-CHANGES; DELTA PLAIN; ANTHROPOCENE; GEOMORPHOLOGY; EVOLUTION; RIVER; AGEMultiple languages
Geography, Physical; Geosciences, MultidisciplinaryMultiple languages
Refereed: Yes
URI: http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/27221

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