Impact of Anthropogenic Activities on Woodland in Northern Syria (4th–2nd Mill. BC): Evidence from Charcoal Assemblages and Oak Measurements

Deckers, Katleen; Polisca, Federico; Riehl, Simone; Gruchy, Michelle de; Lawrence, Dan

doi:10.1080/14614103.2021.1989977

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 61 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Alternatively, it may indicate the import of olive wood or, more likely, of artifacts made of olive wood. Tell Mozan in Northeastern Syria was intensively investigated archaeobotanically but the contexts of the time-block 2000–1500 BC contained no olive seeds, while olive charcoal made up 30% of the assemblage across 3 different contexts [ 111 ]. This is striking and merits further in-depth examination.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A history of olive and grape cultivation in Southwest Asia using charcoal and seed remains

Deckers,

Riehl,

Meadows

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Evaluating archaeobotanical data from over 3.9 million seeds and 124,300 charcoal fragments across 330 archaeological site phases in Southwest Asia, we reconstruct the history of olive and grape cultivation spanning a period of 6,000 years. Combining charcoal and seed data enables investigation into both the production and consumption of olive and grape. The earliest indication for olive and grape cultivation appears in the southern Levant around ca. 5000 BC and 4th millennium BC respectively, although cultivation may have been practiced prior to these dates. Olive and grape cultivation in Southwest Asia was regionally concentrated within the Levant until 600 BC, although there were periodic pushes to the East. Several indications for climate influencing the history of olive and grape cultivation were found, as well as a correlation between periods of high population density and high proportions of olive and grape remains in archaeological sites. While temporal uncertainty prevents a detailed understanding of the causal mechanisms behind these correlations, we suggest that long distance trade in olives, grapes and their associated products was integral to the economic, social, and demographic trajectories of the region.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A history of olive and grape cultivation in Southwest Asia using charcoal and seed remains

Deckers,

Riehl,

Meadows

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Examining long-term fuel and land use patterns at Ziyaret Tepe, Türkiye using an integrated analysis of seeds, wood charcoal, and dung spherulites

Proctor,

Smith,

Matney

2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study presents the results of a combined dendrological, macrobotanical, and dung spherulite analysis of flotation samples collected from Bronze Age, Late Assyrian, and post-Assyrian contexts at the site of Ziyaret Tepe, located on the southern bank of the Tigris River in southeastern Anatolia. The results of this study show shifting fuel resource exploitation between pre-urbanized phases of the site (ca. 3000–1600 BCE), the urbanized Late Assyrian occupation (882–611 BCE), and the ruralized post-Assyrian (ca. 611 BCE–1500 CE) re-occupations of the site. During the Late Assyrian period, Ziyaret Tepe is thought to have been the location of the city of Tušhan, an important provincial capital of the Neo-Assyrian empire. Evidence for local deforestation near the Tigris River and expanding reliance on dung fuel use during this period indicate overexploitation of fuel resources as larger populations and extractive imperial economic policies placed heavier pressure on local land use. Qualitative dendrological data provides evidence for the intensification of fuelwood harvesting during this period, while textual evidence documented an expansive program of timbering to the north of the site intended to fuel imperial construction projects in the Assyrian heartland. Following the abandonment of Tušhan and the collapse of the Neo-Assyrian empire, local fuel resource exploitation during subsequent occupations of the site shifted towards the direct management of wood fuel resources and increasing reliance on rural pastoralism.

show abstract

THE VEGETATION HISTORY OF THE SHEPHELAH, SOUTHERN LEVANT: MIDDLE BRONZE AGE–HELLENISTIC PERIOD (c.2000–100 BC)

Jin,

Lipschits,

Langgut

2023

Oxford J Archaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryAlthough the Shephelah region (Israel) is of a great archaeological significance and has been intensively excavated, very little is known about its landscape history. This study presents two large‐scale charred wood assemblages (>2300 items) that were recovered from Tel Azekah and Tel Lachish in order to reconstruct the ancient vegetation of the Shephelah. The two assemblages cover a temporal range from the Middle Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period (c.2000–100 BC). This new diachronic environmental investigation demonstrates that the natural arboreal vegetation in the Shephelah was dominated by oak and pistachio. From the perspective of the regional fruit tree horticulture, olive was the dominant component, indicating that the region included extensive olive orchards. Other documented fruit trees are grapevine, fig, sycamore fig, carob, date palm and almond. The high frequencies of olive remains throughout all investigated periods point to climatic conditions in the region being close to what we are facing today, with at least 400–450 mm of annual precipitation, which is required for a profitable grove. During the Iron Age II, the proportion of olive remains reached its zenith, most probably as a result of Assyrian agroeconomic management that assigned the Shephelah to olive oil production. At the same time, a reduction in natural Mediterranean trees was identified, representing intense human pressure on the natural environment. The discovery of charred cedar of Lebanon remains only at Lachish points to the high status of the site within the region.

show abstract

Impact of Anthropogenic Activities on Woodland in Northern Syria (4th–2nd Mill. BC): Evidence from Charcoal Assemblages and Oak Measurements

Cited by 4 publications

References 61 publications

A history of olive and grape cultivation in Southwest Asia using charcoal and seed remains

A history of olive and grape cultivation in Southwest Asia using charcoal and seed remains

Examining long-term fuel and land use patterns at Ziyaret Tepe, Türkiye using an integrated analysis of seeds, wood charcoal, and dung spherulites

THE VEGETATION HISTORY OF THE SHEPHELAH, SOUTHERN LEVANT: MIDDLE BRONZE AGE–HELLENISTIC PERIOD (c.2000–100 BC)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About