Settlement, environment, and climate change in SW Anatolia: Dynamics of regional variation and the end of Antiquity

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 27;17(6):e0270295. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270295. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

This paper develops a regional dataset of change at 381 settlements for Lycia-Pamphylia in southwest Anatolia (Turkey) from volume 8 of the Tabula Imperii Byzantini-a compilation of historical toponyms and archaeological evidence. This region is rich in archaeological remains and high-quality paleo-climatic and -environmental archives. Our archaeological synthesis enables direct comparison of these datasets to discuss current hypotheses of climate impacts on historical societies. A Roman Climatic Optimum, characterized by warmer and wetter conditions, facilitating Roman expansion in the 1st-2nd centuries CE cannot be supported here, as Early Byzantine settlement did not benefit from enhanced precipitation in the 4th-6th centuries CE as often supposed. However, widespread settlement decline in a period with challenging archaeological chronologies (c. 550-650 CE) was likely caused by a "perfect storm" of environmental, climatic, seismic, pathogenic and socio-economic factors, though a shift to drier conditions from c. 460 CE appears to have preceded other factors by at least a century.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Archaeology* / history
  • Climate Change*
  • Turkey

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the AHRC South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (Grant AH/L503939/1 to M. J. Jacobson). Additional support was provided by Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, both at the University of Georgia. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. There was no additional external funding received for this study.