Stable Isotope Analysis Applied to the Reconstruction of Paleoenvironment and Landscape Use during the Middle and Early Upper Paleolithic at Üçağızlı I and II, South-Central Turkey

Summary

Stable isotope analysis of δ13C and δ18O in herbivore tooth enamel from the archaeological sites of Üçağızlı I and II in south-central Turkey is used to explore human responses to environmental change during MIS 3 in the eastern Mediterranean. Although changes through time in local ambient moisture are associated with changes in the local animal communities, they generally do not correlate with proxies for site occupation intensity, and thus do not indicate depopulation or shorter site stays during times of aridity. The Ahmarian occupation at Üçağızlı I, however, is identified as an anomalous interval due to its high levels of environmental moisture, intense site occupations, prey animal representation, and unique exploitation strategies for lithic raw materials indicating a change from residential to logistical mobility. The reorganization of mobility strategies during the Ahmarian may relate to a local expansion of forested habitats.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21946