The monumental Early Bronze Age settlement at Liman Tepe (Levels VI-IV) (predecessor of the classical site of Klazomenai), on the southern shore of the Gulf of Izmir, is a good indication of the emergence of settlements with centralised organisation on the west coast of Anatolia. Similar developments can also be followed in Troy at the northernmost limit of the western coastline, on the islands of the north and east Aegean, and at the inland site of Küllüoba in north-west Anatolia. Over a much wider geographical area, extending from south-eastern Anatolia via central and western Anatolia, the islands of the east Aegean, the Cyclades, and mainland Greece, a distinctive set of cultural features emerged at the end of Early Bronze Age II. An explanation of the cultural changes taking place along the west Anatolian coastline at this time should thus be sought in the perspective of this wider sphere. These features can be summarised as follows: • organised settlement structures indicating the presence of a central authority; • monumental fortification systems; • large settlements with citadels and lower towns; • first introduction of wheel-made pottery (mass production); • first appearance of certain new pottery shapes such as depas, tankard, twohandled cup, wheel-made plate, incised pyxis, cutaway-spouted jug and 'Syrian bottles'; • first examples of tin bronzes. These cultural changes, appearing suddenly in a wide geographical range at approximately the same time, can only be explained by the presence of wide international contacts. The character and the nature of these relations are becoming clearer as recent excavations yield new information. This paper aims to shed new light on the nature of the Anatolian Trade Network (ATN) period in the light of new archaeological data from Liman Tepe and Bakla Tepe located on the west Anatolian coastline. The importance of the Izmir region as a bridge between the land trade routes of Anatolia and the sea trade routes of G Ş 339 the Aegean and various effects of this unique location on the region's cultural development are discussed.The first settlements on a monumental scale in Anatolia, such as the administrative buildings that have been unearthed at Arslantepe (Malatya), with their complex administrative systems indicated by the extensive use of sealing, arose as a result of long-distance trade relations with Mesopotamia as early as the later fourth millennium BC (Frangipane 1997(Frangipane , 2002. These early urban centres were important in the establishment of new trade ties linking areas rich in metals with those where these resources were lacking. The widespread use of metals and the development of metallurgy played an important role in disseminating innovations over a wide area in central and western Anatolia and the Aegean during the third millennium BC. In the second half of the third millennium BC (Fig. 2) material remains and technical developments thus began to appear over a wide area, spreading from northern Syria to southern and central The similarities in materia...

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The Late Bronze Age Thera eruption was one of the largest natural disasters witnessed in human history. Its impact, consequences, and timing have dominated the discourse of ancient Mediterranean studies for nearly a century. Despite the eruption’s high intensity (Volcanic Explosivity Index 7; Dense Rock Equivalent of 78 to 86 km) [T. H. Druitt, F. W. McCoy, G. E. Vougioukalakis, Elements 15, 185–190 (2019)] and tsunami-generating capabilities [K. Minoura et al., Geology 28, 59–62 (2000)], few tsunami deposits are reported. In contrast, descriptions of pumice, ash, and tephra deposits are widely published. This mismatch may be an artifact of interpretive capabilities, given how rapidly tsunami sedimentology has advanced in recent years. A well-preserved volcanic ash layer and chaotic destruction horizon were identified in stratified deposits at Çeşme-Bağlararası, a western Anatolian/Aegean coastal archaeological site. To interpret these deposits, archaeological and sedimentological analysis (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy instrumental neutron activation analysis, granulometry, micropaleontology, and radiocarbon dating) were performed. According to the results, the archaeological site was hit by a series of strong tsunamis that caused damage and erosion, leaving behind a thick layer of debris, distinguishable by its physical, biological, and chemical signature. An articulated human and dog skeleton discovered within the tsunami debris are in situ victims related to the Late Bronze Age Thera eruption event. Calibrated radiocarbon ages from well-constrained, short-lived organics from within the tsunami deposit constrain the event to no earlier than 1612 BCE. The deposit provides a time capsule that demonstrates the nature, enormity, and expansive geographic extent of this catastrophic event.

Determining the position of Liman Tepe's (ancient `Clazomenae') archaeological features relative to the coastline is important for understanding their intended function and reconstructing the character of Aegean maritime activities and sea‐based trade. Previous attempts at reconstructing harbour locations at Liman Tepe relied on extrapolating paleoenvironments based on modern surface topography. In light of this, samples from a sediment coring survey and terrestrial and underwater archaeological excavations were analysed using multi‐proxy geoarchaeological methods to determine paleoenvironmental facies. Micropaleontological (foraminifera), sedimentological (grain‐size analysis) and geochemical (δ13C/δ18O) analyses resulted in the reconstruction of the coastal paleogeomorphology, including the presence and absence of ancient harbouring areas. Neither of the previous coastal reconstructions was supported by the new results. Instead, two separate harbouring areas were recognized, one coincident with the Early Bronze Age (4800–3900 years bp) and a second during the archaic and classical periods (c. 2800–2400 years bp). These results emphasize the necessity for multi‐proxy geoarchaeological studies when approaching coastal archaeological sites as a means to reconstruct paleocoastal geomorphology and understand ancient maritime development better.