Environmental reconstruction and wood use at Late Chalcolithic Çamlıbel Tarlası, Turkey

Abstract

Çamlıbel Tarlası is a short-lived, mid 4 th millennium BCE Chalcolithic archaeological site in northern central Anatolia, modern Turkey, with evidence for both intensive metallurgy and permanent occupation. Analysis of a wood charcoal assemblage from the site, totaling 2815 charcoal fragments, is the first from this period and region. Anthracological analysis indicates that the primary fuel wood used was deciduous oak, which comprised nearly 90% of identifiable fragments. We find little evidence of differences in wood species used for different functions or over time; however, a significant trend towards the increased use of large-diameter branch or trunk wood over time is noted both for oak and other minor taxa. We reconstruct a dense oakdominated woodland in the vicinity of the site at the time of first use, with increased forest clearance over time, due to either diminished fuel availability or agricultural expansion, or a combination of the two. An intensification in metallurgical activity in later periods of occupation may have increased demand specifically for large-diameter wood.

Taming Trees, Shaping Forests, and Managing Woodlands as Resources for Understanding Past Societies. Contributions and Current Limits of Dendro-Anthracology and Anthraco-Isotopy

“…Dufraisse (see e.g., Dufraisse and Leuzinger, 2009;Schlichtherle et al, 2010) studied firewood gathering and woodland management as an indicator of the social organizations and economic contexts of Neolithic societies living along alpine lakeshores. In arid environments, in Turkey, Kabukcu (2018) and Marston et al (2021) applied dendro-anthracology to describe wood uses and assess their environmental impact. Finally, the production of new datasets combining dendro-anthracology and entomology has revitalized the field of anthracological research (Bouchaud et al, 2021;Toriti et al, 2021).…”

A stable isotope and functional weed ecology investigation into Chalcolithic cultivation practices in Central Anatolia: Çatalhöyük, Çamlıbel Tarlası and Kuruçay

“…The region receives higher rainfall then the southern Konya plain, ~530 mm, but is topographically variable, and rainfall varies both annually and spatially (Erinç, 1949;Dündar, 2009;FAO, 2015). The environment surrounding Çamlıbel Tarlası experienced significant deforestation events, starting as early as the Chalcolithic (Dörfler et al, 2000;Marsh, 2010;Marston et al, 2021). There is evidence of dense canopy oak woodlands at the start of settlement at Çamlıbel Tarlası, with increasing clearance over time, due either to increased need of fuel for metallurgy and/or clearance for agriculture (Marston et al 2021).…”

“…The environment surrounding Çamlıbel Tarlası experienced significant deforestation events, starting as early as the Chalcolithic (Dörfler et al, 2000;Marsh, 2010;Marston et al, 2021). There is evidence of dense canopy oak woodlands at the start of settlement at Çamlıbel Tarlası, with increasing clearance over time, due either to increased need of fuel for metallurgy and/or clearance for agriculture (Marston et al 2021). This correlates with evidence of significant erosional events occurring at the beginning of occupation of Çamlıbel Tarlası (Marsh, 2010).…”