Virtual Sea-Drifting Experiments between the Island of Cyprus and the Surrounding Mainland in the Early Prehistoric Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

Seaborne movement underpins frontier research in prehistoric archaeology, including water-crossings in the context of human dispersals, and island colonisation. Yet, it also controls the degree of interaction between locations, which in turn is essential for investigating the properties of maritime networks. The onset of the Holocene (circa 12,000 years ago) is a critical period for understanding the origins of early visitors/inhabitants to the island of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean in connection with the spread of Neolithic cultures in the region. The research undertaken in this work exemplifies the synergies between archaeology, physical sciences and geomatics, towards providing novel insights on the feasibility of drift-induced seaborne movement and the corresponding trip duration between Cyprus and coastal regions on the surrounding mainland. The overarching objective is to support archaeological inquiry regarding the possible origins of these visitors/inhabitants—Anatolia and/or the Levant being two suggested origins.

Demographic models predict end-Pleistocene arrival and rapid expansion of pre-agropastoralist humans in Cyprus

“…S4). Irrespective of the locations of initial arrival (e.g., inferred from virtual sea-drifting experiments) (Kyriakidis et al 2022), it is important to understand that we are modelling settlement processes, and not just movement through an area (e.g., Bradshaw et al 2021). Furthermore, such a speedy settlement of the island would have likely resulted in a rapid modi cation of the insular landscape, potentially impacting the availability of subsistence resources (e.g., mammalian fauna) (Simmons 1999(Simmons , 2014.…”

Palaeogenomic insights into the origins of early settlers on the island of Cyprus

“…Aktopraklik) and Çatalhöyük (e.g. Boncuklu) are not identified by our analyses as plausible single sources (Supplementary Table S7); and (iv) as regards Ceramic Neolithic northwestern Anatolians, none of the different archaeological reviews and simulations for ancient maritime connections between Cyprus and the surrounding mainland during the late Pleistocene-early Holocene [9][10][11][12]16 detect the Marmara region as a plausible origin, apparently due to long distance, and unfavourable wind patterns and currents.…”

“…For these samples only (available as BAM files), we derived genotype data by first using Samtools (v1. 16) mpileup (http:// www. htslib.…”

“…Imported obsidian found at early Cypro-PPN sites (particularly during Cypro-PPNB), however, has been geochemically characterised as deriving from Central Anatolia 15 , indicating maritime contacts. Ancient maritime navigation data also put forward south-central Anatolia and the northwestern Levant as the two most plausible starting points of early seafaring journeys to and from Cyprus from the surrounding mainland [10][11][12]16 .Archaeogenetics provide an additional line of evidence in long-standing debates of archaeological and historical processes. In a Near Eastern context, ancient DNA (aDNA) evidence revealed significant genetic heterogeneity in the early Neolithic Levant 17 , Anatolia 18,19 , Mesopotamia [20][21][22] , and further east in the Central Zagros 23 , and…”

“…Imported obsidian found at early Cypro-PPN sites (particularly during Cypro-PPNB), however, has been geochemically characterised as deriving from Central Anatolia 15 , indicating maritime contacts. Ancient maritime navigation data also put forward south-central Anatolia and the northwestern Levant as the two most plausible starting points of early seafaring journeys to and from Cyprus from the surrounding mainland [10][11][12]16 .…”