In this paper we explore the impact of Rapid Climate Change (RCC) on prehistoric communities in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Early and Middle Holocene. Our focus is on the social implications of the four major climate cold anomalies that have recently been identified as key time-windows for global RCC (Mayewski et al. 2004). These cooling anomalies are well-dated, with Greenland ice-core resolution; due to synchronicity between warm/cold foraminifera ratios in Mediterranean core LC21 as a proxy for surface water temperature, and Greenland GISP2 non sea-salt (nss) [K+] ions as a proxy for the intensification of the Siberian High and for polar air outbreaks in the northeast Mediterranean (Rohling et al. 2002). Building on these synchronisms, the GISP2 age-model supplies the following precise time-intervals for archaeological RCC research: (i) 8.6-8.0 ka, (h) 60-5.2 ka, (iii) 4.2-4.0 ka and (iv) 3.1-2.9 ka calBP. For each of these RC time intervals; based on detailed C-14-based chronological studies, we investigate contemporaneous cultural developments. From our studies it follows that RCC-related climatic deterioration is a major factor underlying social change, although always at work within a wide spectrum of social, cultural, economic and religious factors.
... In fact, there are many evidence for a dry period in West Asia, in particular the oxygen and carbon isotope dates in the Soreq Cave, but also in the Jeita Cave in Lebanon (Verheyden et al., 2008). Numerous scholars have identified a cooling that in tropical latitudes caused a drought period between 6000 and 5000 years ago, which probably prompted grape cultivation to move to more northerly latitudes (Greece), shifting the production area slightly (Mayewski et al., 2004;Weninger et al., 2009). From the 4th millennium onwards, and even more so in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC, production spread from the Middle and Near East to Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, Crete and Macedonia (Delpino, 2012). ...
... Behre et al., 2023;Bottema, 1982;Gassner et al., 2020). All this happened in a dynamic environment, with several climate oscillations reported for the Holocene that impacted the vegetation, but likely also influenced human actions (Gassner et al., 2020;Glais et al., 2023;Masi et al., 2018;Weninger et al., 2009). Probably the Holocene climate-vegetation-land use interactions in the mesomediterranean coastlands of northern Greece best known abrupt climatic changes of the Holocene are the "8.2 ka event" and the "4.2 ka event," delimiting the Early from the Mid Holocene and the Mid from the Late Holocene, respectively (Alley et al., 1997;Lang et al., 2023a;Walker et al., 2019;Weiss et al., 1993). ...
Mesomediterranean vegetation with abundant evergreen broadleaved trees and shrubs is dominant along the coast of northern Greece. Well-dated palynological records are available from the inland submediterranean zone, where evergreen broadleaved trees and shrubs are absent or rare, but less is known about the vegetation history of the coastal area. For instance, it is unclear when and why evergreen broadleaved vegetation expanded during the Holocene. Here we present a new record from a mesomediterranean site, Limni Volvi, near the coast of the Aegean Sea. To understand Holocene vegetation history, we combined palynology, microscopic charcoal analysis and biogeochemical proxies (Ti, Ca, RABD 655–680max ). At the start of the Holocene, open steppe vegetation and high fire activity prevailed around Limni Volvi. Afforestation by deciduous trees was likely delayed compared to sites further inland, due to the lack of moisture at the start of the Holocene, but vegetation composition was generally similar (i.e. submediterranean), with barely any evergreen broadleaved element. Around 8150 cal. BP (6200 cal. BC) trees and shrubs declined in the open woodlands or parklands, and the landscape returned to steppe conditions at 8000 cal. BP (6050 cal. BC), likely because of drier and colder conditions during the “8.2 ka event.” Around the same time, cultural indicators suggest the start of Neolithic agriculture in the region. The present-day mesomediterranean vegetation with evergreen oaks only began to develop after 6000–5000 cal. BP (4050–3050 cal. BC), likely in response to increasing winter temperatures and reduced frost occurrence, further advantaged by human impact during the past 3600 years.
... As this study focused on the early stages of the Neolithic in Pelagonia, the questions re lating to the Middle and Late Neolithic will have to be addressed in a future study.We have no conclusive dates yet for the time between 6200 and 6000 cal BC from other sites in North Ma cedonia (apart from Amzabegovo), although it is the time when the first sites were established in other re gions of the Balkans, e.g., in Southern Bulgaria (Ko va èevo)(Thissen, Reingruber 2017.137-139). The extreme decrease in global temperature for at least 200 years, if not longer, around 6200 cal BC (the 8.2 kaevent,Weninger et al. 2009) may have triggered the appearance of new sites in river valleys and wet lands(Thissen, Reingruber 2017.Fig. 2). ...
Since Gordon V. Childe first discussed the diffusion of culture from the Near East into Europe 100 years ago, various models for the advance of the Neolithic way of life have been proposed. Chronology has played an important role in this, but not all regions were included in the narratives due to a lack of data. Recent investigations in the border area between North Macedonia and Greece, namely in Pelagonia, have provided reliable new radiocarbon sequences, in total 42 new radiocarbon dates, that will contribute to the discussion on the Neolithic chronology of the Balkans.
... Various studies have argued for a relationship between Holocene rapid climate change (RCC) events and prehistoric settlement in Europe and the Near East. Many of these studies have focused on the consequences of rapid climate change for early farming communities (e.g., Bonsall et al. 2002b;Gronenborn 2007Gronenborn , 2009Macklin ct al. 2011;Weninger et al. 2006Weninger et al. , 2009. Relatively few studies have con idered the effects of climate shifts on Mcsolithi hunter-gatherer populations. ...
The Mesolithic-Early Neolithic radiocarbon record for the Iron Gates is compared against the regional paleoclimatic record. Well-marked minima in the frequency of radiocarbon dates at ca. 9.5-9.0 ka, 8.65-8.0 ka and after 7.8 ka cal B.P. coincide with “rapid climate change events” recorded in Greenland ice cores and paleoclimate archives from the Danube catchment. Four possible explanations of the observed radiocarbon discontinuities are considered: dwindling fish resources, changes in the social environment linked to the spread of farming, flood-induced settlement relocations, and taphonomic effects.
... We have no conclusive dates yet for the time between 6200 and 6000 cal BC from other sites in North Macedonia (apart from Amzabegovo), although it is the time when the first sites were established in other regions of the Balkans, e.g., in Southern Bulgaria (Kova èevo) (Thissen, Reingruber 2017.137-139). The extreme decrease in global temperature for at least 200 years, if not longer, around 6200 cal BC (the 8.2 ka-event, Weninger et al. 2009) may have triggered the appearance of new sites in river valleys and wetlands . Fig. 2). ...
Since Gordon V. Childe first discussed the diffusion of culture from the Near East into Europe 100 years ago, various models for the advance of the Neolithic way of life have been proposed. Chronology has played an important role in this, but not all regions were included in the narratives due to a lack of data. Recent investigations in the border area between North Macedonia and Greece, namely in Pelagonia, have provided reliable new radiocarbon sequences, in total 42 new radiocarbon dates, that will contribute to the discussion on the Neolithic chronology of the Balkans.
The article deals with stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon on current and archaeological semi-aquatic gastropod shell of the Pila wernei from Sudan and reports some new 14C analyses on archaeological Pila specimens. This, with the aim of obtaining new information on climatic and environmental changes in the al-Khiday area during the first phase of Holocene. The Pila shells come from a well-preserved shell midden present at al-Khiday and dated 8700-7000 cal yr BP. The area of al-Khiday was inhabited since at least 10 ka. Pila wernei species has never been studied in detail; this study demonstrates that the O and C isotope composition of aragonite shell is able to record the environmental and diet changes during the gastropod life. The comparison between the isotope data obtained on present-day and archaeological shells show a prevalence of C4 plants and higher rainfall during the Mesolithic. Two climatic fluctuations have been recognised: the first one indicating wetter conditions from 8650-8400 to 8500-8050 cal yr BP (decrease of the δ18O values), the second one pointing less wetter conditions from 8500-8050 to 7850-7600 cal yr BP (increase of δ18O values). Despite the difficulties in studying semi-aquatic gastropods due to their lifestyle habit, the identification of climatic fluctuations in the Early Holocene confirms the reliability of this proxy for climatic reconstructions. Despite the high number of isotopic analyses (1556) used in this work, they were not sufficient to mirror the fast climate changes characterising the studied period and finally obtain a detailed reconstruction for nearly the two millennia considered. Nonetheless, future projects may benefit greatly from unveiling the shell-environment relationship of the species.
The in-depth research into how prehistoric human subsistence patterns responded to environmental shifts during the transcontinental spread of crops, livestock, and cultural interactions between the second and first millenium BC is a pivotal scientific endeavor that has aroused widespread attention. Northwest Yunnan, as a vital corridor for human migration, facilitated ancient human dispersals and fostered cultural exchanges. Analyzing prehistoric subsistence patterns in Yunnan, particularly in Northwest Yunnan, is crucial for understanding the dynamics and repercussions of agricultural expansion in Eurasia during prehistory. This study examined stable isotopes extracted from human bone and plant microfossils extracted from dental calculus samples collected from two sites in Northwest Yunnan. The comprehensive analysis revealed that the inhabitants of Northwest Yunnan during the first millenium BC primarily consumed C 3 plants (including rice, wheat, barley, buckwheat, legumes, roots and tubers, etcetera), with C 4 plants as supplements (such as millets), alongside a high intake of animal protein. With the integration of existing archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data from neighboring sites, what emerges is a composite subsistence strategy developed by the ancestors in Northwest Yunnan during the first millenium BC, characterized by coexisting practices of planting-gathering and animal husbandry-fishing/hunting. These diversified subsistence patterns were shaped by the cultural influences from Northwest China and the local natural environment, indicating an adaptation to geographical constraints and a strategic response to climatic fluctuations during periods of low productivity.
Neolithic societies were inherently vulnerable. In addition to the challenges of a changing climate and evolving
subsistence strategies and social identities, Neolithic societies were also confronted with a range of natural
hazards, including extreme weather events, unstable building grounds, and earthquakes. In particular, earthquakes
appear to have had a significant impact on early Neolithic communities and their settlements across the
Middle East. This contribution presents the findings of recent combined building archaeological and archaeoseismological
research in relation to the various damage patterns observed in the built environment at Göbekli
Tepe, Türkiye. Of particular interest here are the damages and anthropogenic reactions that can be linked to
seismic activities during the Neolithic.
Interdisciplinary teams investigating the origins of agriculture in the Eastern Fertile Crescent in the 1950s through 1970s considered the region a primary center of initial domestication and agricultural emergence. Political events then shifted the focus of archaeological investigation on agricultural origins to the Western Fertile Crescent. Decades of subsequent research appeared to indicate that the west was the earliest and most important center of agricultural origins in Southwest Asia, with the Eastern Fertile Crescent portrayed as a backwater that lagged behind transformative innovations from the west. The resumption of investigations in the east in the early 2000s, coupled with new scientific methods for documenting agricultural emergence, has reestablished the region as a heartland of domestication of both crop and livestock species. Part One of this two-part paper traced the history of this work from the 1950s through the early 2000s. Part Two presents a synthesis of recent work in the east, evaluating the continued relevance of early work in light of modern explanatory models for agricultural origins.
Environmental magnetism is recognised as a sensitive tool for reconstructing various processes related to the iron cycling in the terrestrial environment. Besides, archaeomagnetism as an interdisciplinary method in archaeology provides geophysical tools for dating and synchronisation of burnt clay remains throughout the last ~8000 years. Linking both research directions opens up far-reaching opportunities for a complex characterisation of ancient human occupation and its impact on the environment. In this contribution, we summarise the state of the art in the synergetic application of the archaeo- and environmental magnetism carried out in Bulgaria during the last decades. We showcase various examples from our practice to demonstrate the potential of this approach for enhancing our understanding of the ancient world.
Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Support Vector Machines (SVM) are the two most popular machine learning techniques now used in time series prediction of many different areas. ANN relies mostly on heuristics whereas SVM is mathematically well founded. The general perception is that SVM may outperform ANN. Many advantages of SVM over ANN, from theoretical point of view, have been identified. However, such drawbacks of ANN are not always identified as practical issues and remedial measures to overcome them are also available. This study compares the two techniques, SVM and ANN, in hydrological/meteorological time series prediction with respect to the most important practical aspects: prediction accuracy and computational time required. The results of this study and the evidence from other published research show that, in practice, performance of both ANN and SVM are similar in terms of prediction accuracy and computational effort.
Noile cercetări de pe tell-ul eneolitic „ Măgura Gorgana”, lângă satul Pietrele la Dunărea de Jos au început în anul 2002, printr-un proiect de colaborare între Institutul German de Arheologie, Secţia Eurasia, Institutul de Arheologie „ Vasile Pârvan” al Academiei Române şi Institutul de Geografie Fizică al Universităţii „ Johann Wolfgang Goethe” din Frankfurt a. M. Scopul cercetărilor este obţinerea de informaţii asupra cronologiei culturii Gumelniţa, asupra arhitecturii clădirilor, a organizării aşezării, cât şi asupra strategiilor economice şi a folosirii spaţiului de către locuitorii din a doua jumătate al mileniului V î. e. n. În cadrul săpăturilor au putut fi întreprinse cercetări geomagnetice pe tell precum şi în imediata apropiere a acestuia. Şirurile de clădiri de pe colină, vizibile în magnetogram, au fost verificate prin săpături. Neaşteptată a fost identificarea unei aşezări întinse la poalele tell-ului şi a unei necropole cu cel puţin 50 de morminte, la vest de tell. Pe o imagine de satelit Corona din 1967 a fost vizibilă o amenajare cu şanţ circular. Prospecţiunea geomagnetică a confirmat existenţa a trei şanţuri concentrice. Aşezarea a fost, deci, cu mult mai mare decât s-a presupus iniţial. Pluralitatea activităţilor specializate, documentate pe tell, sugerează existenţa unei populaţii mult mai numeroase. Descoperirea aşezării întinse din jurul tell-lui ridică o nouă serie de întrebări privind rolul aşezării de pe colină precum şi al locuitorilor săi şi va contribui la o revizuire fundamentală a imaginii asupra aşezărilor eneolitice de tip tell. Cercetările fluvial-morfologice au dus la o nouă cunoaştere a dezvoltării luncii Dunării şi a sistemului fluvial din zona Pietrele. Forajele şi măsurătorile geofizice din jurul tell-ului au arătat că prin sedimentele din zona inundabilă precum şi prin solurile şi sedimentele (coluviile) de pe terasele adiacente se află la îndemână arhive remarcabile, care permit afirmaţii fundamentate atât asupra potenţialului de folosinţă al spaţiului, dar şi asupra impactului uman asupra gospodăririi ţinutului, intensificat ulterior epocii neolitice.
1 The Annealing Algorithm: A Preview.- 1.1 Combinatorial optimization.- 1.2 Moves and local minima.- 1.3 Hill climbing.- 1.4 Simulated annealing.- 1.5 Applications.- 1.6 Mathematical model.- 1.7 Discussion.- 2 Preliminaries from Matrix Theory.- 2.1 Matrices. Notation and basic properties.- 2.2 Pseudo-diagonal normal forms.- 2.3 Norms and limits of matrices.- 2.4 Quadratic forms.- 2.5 Discussion.- 3 Chains.- 3.1 Terminology.- 3.2 Linear arrangement, an example.- 3.3 The chain limit theorem.- 3.4 Reversible chains.- 3.5 Discussion.- 4 Chain Statistics.- 4.1 Density Functions.- 4.2 Expected values.- 4.3 Sampling.- 4.4 Maximum likelyhood densities.- 4.5 Aggregate functions.- 4.6 Discussion.- 5 Annealing Chains.- 5.1 Towards low scores.- 5.2 Maximal accessibility.- 5.3 The acceptance function.- 5.4 Properties of annealing chains.- 5.5 Discussion.- 6 Samples from Normal Distributions.- 6.1 Characteristic functions.- 6.2 Quadratic forms and characteristic functions.- 6.3 Sampling distributions.- 6.4 Asymptotic properties of sampling distributions.- 6.5 Discussion.- 7 Score Densities.- 7.1 The density of states.- 7.2 Weak control.- 7.3 Strong control.- 7.4 Three parameter aggregates.- 7.5 Discussion.- 8 The Control Parameter.- 8.1 Initialization.- 8.2 Decrements in the control parameter.- 8.3 A stop criterion.- 8.4 Proper convergence.- 8.5 Discussion.- 9 Finite-Time Behavior of the Annealing Algorithm.- 9.1 Rate of convergence of chains.- 9.2 Minimum number of iterations.- 9.3 Finite-time optimal schedules.- 9.4 Discussion.- 10 The Structure of the State Space.- 10.1 Chain convergence.- 10.2 The topography of the state space.- 10.3 The set of moves.- 10.4 Global convergence.- 10.5 Discussion.- 11 Implementation Aspects.- 11.1 An implementation.- 11.2 The selection function.- 11.3 Other speed-up methods.- References.
The rôle played by humans in the extinction of late Pleistocene vertebrate fauna is a controversial topic (Diamond 1989; Grayson 1989; Martin & Klein 1984), and actual archaeological data for a human factor are quite rare. Recent multidisciplinary excavations in Cyprus, however, suggest that people were at least partially responsible for the extinction of local endemics, primarily pygmy hippopotamus (
Phanourios minutus
).
The radiocarbon determinations from the archaeological deposits at Akrotiri Aetokremnos set a human presence on Cyprus beyond the limit of standard radiocarbon calibration. New approaches nevertheless make possible an approximate calibration of the date of settlement into real calendar years. -after Author
![Northern Hemisphere Palaeoclimate Records showing Holocene Rapid Climate Change (RCC) (site map cf. Fig. 2), (A) Greenland GISP2 ice-core δ δ 18 O (Grootes et al. 1993), (B) Western Mediterranean (Iberian Margin) core MD95–2043, sea surface temperature (SST) C37 alkenones (Cacho et al. 2001; Fletcher et al. 2008), (C) Eastern Mediterranean core LC21 (SST) fauna (Rohling et al. 2002), (D) North Atlantic Bond-Events, stacked petrologic tracers of drift ice from cores MC52–V29191+MC21– GGC22 (Bond et al. 2001), (E) Romania (Steregoiu), Mean Annual Temperature of the Coldest Month (MTC, °C) (Feurdean et al. 2008), (F) Gaussian smoothed (200 yr) GISP2 potassium (non-sea salt [K + ]; ppb) ion proxy for the Siberian High (Mayewski et al. 1997; Meeker and Mayewski 2002), (G) High-Resolution GISP2 potassium (nonsea salt [K + ]; ppb) ion proxy for the Siberian High (Mayewski et al. 1997; Meeker and Mayewski 2002).](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Angelica-Feurdean/publication/228562084/figure/fig1/AS:393678775439369@1470871743031/Northern-Hemisphere-Palaeoclimate-Records-showing-Holocene-Rapid-Climate-Change-RCC_Q320.jpg)
![Freezing Events during the last 2000 years in the Bosporus, the southern Black Sea and Marmara region, derived from historical documents (Yavuz et al. 2007), compared to the GISP2 nss [K + ] ion record (Mayewski et al. 1997; 2004). Also shown is the historical record (1000– 2000 AD) of the Thames freezing (Currie et al. 1996).](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Angelica-Feurdean/publication/228562084/figure/fig2/AS:393678779633665@1470871743283/Freezing-Events-during-the-last-2000-years-in-the-Bosporus-the-southern-Black-Sea-and_Q320.jpg)
![Glacial GISP2 nss [K + ] chemical ion record in the time-window 0–50 ka calBP (Mayewski et al. 1997; 2004). GI – Greenland Interstadial (GI numbers cf. Johnsen et al. 1992); LGM – Last Glacial Maximum, YD– Younger Dryas. Holocene RCC-periods are indicated at ~ 10.2 ka, ~ 8.2 ka, ~ 6.0 ka, ~ 3.0 ka and Little Ice Age (LIA). Age. GISP2 records are presented on U/Th-Hulu age-model (Weninger and Jöris 2008). Greenland stadials are defined by δ δ 18 O minima (cf. Johnsen et al. 1992).](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Angelica-Feurdean/publication/228562084/figure/fig3/AS:393678779633669@1470871743517/Glacial-GISP2-nss-K-chemical-ion-record-in-the-time-window-0-50-ka-calBP-Mayewski_Q320.jpg)
![Dead Sea (Jordan) Lake Levels as proxy for Holocene precipitation (Migowski et al. 2006) in comparison to Greenland GRIP (GICC05-age model ) ice-core stable oxygen isotopes δ δ 18 O (Grootes et al. 1993), Greenland GISP2 ice-core nss [K + ] chemical ions as proxy for Rapid Climate Change, (Mayewski et al. 1997), and Soreq Cave (Israel) δ δ 13 C record as proxy for flash-flood intensity (Bar-Matthews et al. 2003). Shaded area indicates Sapropel S1 with onset ~ 9.9 ka calBP and end ~ 6.8 ka calBP) according to Casford et al. (2007), and interruption between S1a and S1b assumed c. 8.6–8.0 ka calBP (see text).](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Angelica-Feurdean/publication/228562084/figure/fig4/AS:393678779633671@1470871743576/Dead-Sea-Jordan-Lake-Levels-as-proxy-for-Holocene-precipitation-Migowski-et-al-2006_Q320.jpg)
![Radiocarbon Data from Ganj Dareh (Zagros Mountains, NW-Iran) for the earliest (known) domesticated goats (Zeder and Hesse 2000), shown in comparison to Dead Sea (Jordan) Lake Level record (Migowski et al. 2006) and Greenland GISP2 icecore nss [K + ] chemical ions (Mayewski et al. 1997). The shaded area indicates good temporal agreement between the first appearance of domesticated goats in NW-Iran and the onset of the Levantine Moist Period (see text). Additional 14 C-ages on charcoal and short-lived seed samples from Ganj Dareh (not shown in this figure) are given in Tab. 1. Note the extreme depth (more than 7m) of the Ganj Dareh stratigraphy in comparison to the small spread of 14 C-ages.](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Angelica-Feurdean/publication/228562084/figure/fig6/AS:393678779633676@1470871743759/Radiocarbon-Data-from-Ganj-Dareh-Zagros-Mountains-NW-Iran-for-the-earliest-known_Q320.jpg)
