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A well-dated pollen diagram from Gravgaz marsh, near the archaeological site of Sagalassos (western Taurus Mountains, Turkey), provides the first detailed record of vegetation change in southwest Turkey during the last two millennia. A newly developed numerical analysis disentangles the climatic and anthropogenic influences on vegetation and reveals for the first time for southwest Turkey the timing and influence of late-Holocene climate change. Results show that sudden vegetation changes, driven by changes in moisture availability, co-occurred with well-defined European climate shifts. A trend towards dry conditions, from c. ad 640 to 940, coincides with the cold early Middle Ages in Europe. During this period, human presence in the region diminished and agricultural activity switched focus from crop cultivation to pastoralism while signs of cereal cultivation temporarily ceased. This period was followed by a return to moister conditions from ad 940 to 1280, coinciding with the ‘Medieval Climate Anomaly’. During this period there was a resurgence of human activity in the basin. Another trend towards dry conditions occurred at c. ad 1280, corresponding with the start of the ‘Little Ice Age’ in Europe and another disappearance of cereal pollen until the present day. The numerical analyses suggest that human impact around Gravgaz during the last two millennia is primarily driven by climatic changes.

Description of a newly discovered site in Middle Egypt, which is argued to have been a royal domain of the early Old Kingdom. It concerns the second site of its kind known. ispartof: Ägypten und Levante: Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Archäologie und deren Nachbargebiete vol:19 pages:293-331 status: published

This paper compares and evaluates the significance of spectral characteristics and pixel resolution of the very high spatial resolution satellite systems (VHSRS) Quickbird-2 and Ikonos-2 for automatic extraction of ancient features on one archaeological site, the antique town Sagalassos (southwest-Turkey). The evaluation of the spectral characteristics is based on a band-by-band comparison. Pixel- and object-based classification techniques are compared with visual analyses to assess the effects of different image characteristics. The analysis reveals that Quickbird-2 is outperforming Ikonos-2 for the visual identification of ancient remains. Its augmented spatial resolution however does not necessarily result in a better automatic classification. For Sagalassos, maximum likelihood classification on Ikonos-2 gives the best results. The accuracy of automatic extraction depends on the type and characteristics of the VHSRS data, the classification method and on on-site parameters. Site characteristics appear ...

Aim To investigate the human impact on eastern Mediterranean ecosystems in a subhumid to semi-arid region of the Near East. Location This paper considers data from Bereket (1410-1440 m a.s.l.), an intramontane basin surrounded by the Kokayamk Tepe (1830 m a.s.l.) and the Besparmak Daglari (2280 m a.s.l.), in the western Taurus Mountains of south-west Turkey. Methods Late Holocene samples were collected along an 800-cm-deep sediment profile cored in the secondary valley of the Bereket basin. Descriptive vegetation data and modern pollen samples (moss polsters) were collected at elevational intervals of c. 15 m along an altitudinal transect from the Bereket basin (over Tepe Duzen, 1600 m a.s.l.) to Aglasun Dagi (1700 m a.s.l.). Information about the spatial distribution of the present land cover was obtained from ASTER satellite imagery. Digital elevation-derived data and geological information were used to examine the relationship between actual land cover and other environmental variables. Results The well dated Bereket sequence provides a unique record of biennial-to-decadal landscape changes driven primarily by intensive human impact from 360 cal. yr BC to 650 cal. yr AD. Since 360 cal. yr BC, over-exploitation of the land has led to altitudinal variation of tree lines, a destruction of the natural forest ecosystems (Pinus-Quercus cerris mixed forest), and an extensive spread of forest-steppe in the highlands. The present-day distribution of vegetation in the basin area shows that human activities remain the major factor influencing the character of modern ecosystems. Main conclusions This research demonstrates the long-term local destructive effects of human impacts on the mountainous ecosystems in a small Anatolian intramontane basin since 360 cal. yr BC, and the capacity of these ecosystems to recover during periods of reduced human impact. The late Holocene history and modern vegetation characteristics show that the past and present-day distribution and composition of vegetation are influenced primarily by human activity, and that substrate, elevation, slope and orientation are of secondary significance.

Archaeological research in the territory of Sagalassos is a multidisciplinary project covering scientific disciplines traditionally linked to archaeology and also new technologies such as very high-resolution remote sensing with sufficient radiometric and spatial resolution (

One of the biggest threats to cultural heritage is related to their rapidly changing and developing surroundings. The Giza pyramid plateau is a prime example of this phenomenon, as it is threatened by the enormous urban expansion of Cairo over the last decades. Documenting, monitoring and modelling such a pressure requires accurate and detailed geographic data, which can be derived from recent up-to-date, high resolution satellite images. Remote sensing techniques have proven to be very useful to visualize and analyze urban sprawl and land use changes in two dimensions. The impact assessment of urban sprawl near specific heritage sites, however; needs to be complemented with accurate 2.5D-information. In an attempt to do so, digital surface models (DSMs) from Ikonos-2 (2005) and GeoEye-1 stereoscopic images (2009 and 2011) have been computed in order to analyze recent urban changes. Change detection methods are mainly developed for large scale high resolution aerial images; however this paper focuses on the one hand DSM creation and its challenges resulting in an improvement of 2.5D change detection method for small scale satellite imagery in mainly informal areas. On the other hand a view shed evolution is presented. The combination of the enhanced digital terrain extraction (eATE) module of Erdas Imagine® and ground control points collected in the field provides accurate and high resolution DSMs. The impact of shadow and different urban morphologies however influence the pixel-wise comparison of the two DSMs, which results in different approaches for different city districts. The resulting 2.5D change model clarifies not only the urban sprawl, but also the increase in building levels, directly related to pressure on the famous pyramids. This pressure is furthermore analyzed by creating different view sheds through time from the plateau towards the city and vice versa. An integration of population statistics complements the model, hence allowing it to become a useful policy instrument.

Anatolia forms a bridge between Europe, Africa and Asia and is influenced by all three continents in terms of climate, vegetation and human civilisation. Unfortunately, well-dated palynological records focussing on the period from the end of the classical Roman period until subrecent times are rare for Anatolia and completely absent for southwest Turkey, resulting in a lacuna in knowledge concerning the interactions of climatic change, human impact, and environmental change in this important region. Two well-dated palaeoecological records from the Western Taurus Mountains, Turkey, provide a first relatively detailed record of vegetation dynamics from late Roman times until the present in SW Turkey. Combining pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal, sedimentological, archaeological data, and newly developed multivariate numerical analyses allows for the disentangling of climatic and anthropogenic influences on vegetation change. Results show changes in both the regional pollen signal as well as local soil sediment characteristics match shifts in regional climatic conditions. Both climatic as well as anthropogenic change had a strong influence on vegetation dynamics and land use. A moist environmental trend during the late-3rd century caused an increase in marshes and wetlands in the moister valley floors, limiting possibilities for intensive crop cultivation at such locations. A mid-7th century shift to pastoralism coincided with a climatic deterioration as well as the start of Arab incursions into the region, the former driving the way in which the vegetation developed afterwards. Resurgence in agriculture was observed in the study during the mid-10th century AD, coinciding with the Medieval Climate Anomaly. An abrupt mid-12th century decrease in agriculture is linked to socio-political change, rather than the onset of the Little Ice Age. Similarly, gradual deforestation occurring from the 16th century onwards has been linked to changes in land use during Ottoman times. The pollen data reveal that a fast rise in Pinus pollen after the end of the Beyşehir Occupation Phase need not always occur. The notion of high Pinus pollen percentages indicating an open landscape incapable of countering the influx of pine pollen is also deemed unrealistic. While multiple fires occurred in the region through time, extended fire periods, as had occurred during the Bronze Age and Beyşehir Occupation Phase, did not occur, and no signs of local fire activity were observed. Fires were never a major influence on vegetation dynamics. While no complete overview of post-BO Phase fire events can be presented, the available data indicates that fires in the vicinity of Gravgaz may have been linked to anthropogenic activity in the wider surroundings of the marsh. Fires in the vicinity of Bereket appeared to be linked to increased abundance of pine forests. There was no link with specifically wet or dry environmental conditions at either site. While this study reveals much new information concerning the impact of climate change and human occupation on the environment, more studies from SW Turkey are required in order to properly quantify the range of the observed phenomena and the magnitude of their impacts. © 2013 Author(s). ispartof: Climate of the Past vol:9 issue:1 pages:57-87 status: published

The launch of several very high spatial resolution satellite (VHSRS) systems (Ikonos-2, Quickbird-2 and others) in the recent past also has provided new possibilities for archaeological research. The emphasis of this paper is to compare and evaluate the contribution of spectral characteristics and pixel resolution of Quickbird-2 and Ikonos-2 for automatic extraction of ancient features from VHSRS imagery. The spectral characteristics of both images have been evaluated by a band-by-band comparison. Apart from a visual comparison, pixel- and object-based classification techniques are applied to assess the effect of different image characteristics. The study is carried out on the antique site of Sagalassos (southwest Turkey). A profound analysis of the VHSRS data reveals that the spectral characteristics of Ikonos-2 capture a more detailed spectral reflectance for the same ground target compared to Quickbird-2. The latter outperforms Ikonos-2 for the visual identification of ancient remains due to its enhanced ground resolution. The application of automatic extraction techniques on archaeological remains in the ancient town of Sagalassos shows opposing results. Compared with the visual interpretation of Quickbird-2, the pixel-based technique gives the best results for Ikonos-2, while an object-based method is best for Quickbird-2.

Late Holocene vegetation and geomorphological history is reconstructed from a 800 cm long high-resolution palynological and sedimentological record sampled from Bereket, a 6.3 km2 semi-arid to sub-humid intramontane basin in the Western Taurus Mountains (southwest Turkey). The well-dated Bereket record provides from cal. 360 BC to cal. AD ∼400 a unique record of biennial-to-decadal landscape changes caused primarily by intensive human impacts against a background of global climate variations. During this period, land clearance with multiple fire episodes, intensive agricultural practices and grazing pressure profoundly altered the pre-existing warm mixed forest. Increasing moisture availability since cal. ∼280 BC has acted as a trigger to crop cultivation and mountain-adapted arboriculture starting with Juglans regia during the Beysehir Occupation Phase. Pollen from olive groves have been recorded above 1400 m a.s.l. only at cal. ∼23 BC and have disappeared definitively at cal. AD ∼294. During this phase, the sediment accumulation rate was extremely high, reflecting landscape instability. From cal. AD 450 to recent times, the area has mainly recorded pasture and minor cultivation activities reflected in stable soils and thin colluvial depths.

In 2005, during the annual ‘intensive’ archaeological survey in the peri-urban zone of Sagalassus (Pisidia, southwest Anatolia), the remains of an extensive Classical-Hellenistic settlement were identified at Düzen Tepe, 1.8km southwest of Sagalassus. The results of three seasons of site investigation (2005–2007), comprising archaeological and geophysical surveys, architectural and topographical mapping, test soundings, and archaeometric and environmental research, are presented here, together with a discussion of the settlement's most probable socio-economic background. According to the latest results of all excavated or sampled survey ceramic artefacts and AMS C14dating of faunal remains, the (proto-)urban settlement at Düzen Tepe was inhabited during the fifth to second century BC. It is the first of its kind to shed light on the material culture of the ancient inhabitants of the region, the ‘Pisidians’.