Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-tj2md Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-20T02:59:41.600Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Pleistocene to Holocene Transition and Human Economy in Southwest Asia: The Impact of the Younger Dryas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

A. M. T. Moore  and
G. C. Hillman
A. M. T. Moore
Affiliation:
The Graduate School, Yale University, 1504A Yale Station, New Haven, CT 06520-7425
G. C. Hillman
Affiliation:
Department of Human Environment, Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London, WC1H OPY, England
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We present new evidence suggesting that the Late Glacial worldwide episode of cooling known as the Younger Dryas (ca. 11,000-10,000 B.P.) had a significant impact on climate, vegetation, and human economy in southwest Asia. In the Levant a new pollen core extracted from Lake Huleh and plant remains from the early village of Abu Hureyra 1 indicate that forest gave way to steppe in response to the onset of drier climatic conditions contemporary with the Younger Dryas. Similar effects may be seen in pollen cores from elsewhere in southwest Asia. This alteration in climate and vegetation obliged the inhabitants of Abu Hureyra to modify their plant gathering, and led to significant disruptions in culture and settlement over a wide area. We argue that the stresses induced by these events were a contributing factor in the subsequent development of agriculture in southwest Asia.

Resumen

Resumen

Presentamos nuevas evidencias que indican que el episodio de enfriamiento global a fines del período glacial conocido como Younger Dryas (ca. 11,000-10,000 A.P.) tuvo un significativo impacto en el clima, la vegetación y la economía humana en el suroeste de Asia. En el Levante, una nueva columna de polen extraída del Lago Huleh y restos botánicos recuperados en la aldea temprana de Abu Hureyra 1 indican que los bosques fueron reemplazados por estepas en respuesta a condiciones climáticas más secas contemporáneas con el Younger Dryas. Consecuencias semejantes se observan en columnas de polen provenientes de otros lugares en el suroeste de Asia. Esta alteración en el clima y la práctica de recolección de plantas produjo significativos cambios en la cultura y el asentamiento en un área extensa. Sostenemos que las tensiones inducidas por estos hechos contribuyeron al subsiguiente desarrollo de la agricultura en el suroeste de Asia.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 57 , Issue 3 , July 1992 , pp. 482 - 494
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1992 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Reference Cited

Baruch, U., and Bottema, S. 1991 Palynological Evidence for Climatic Changes in the Levant ca. 17, 000-9, 000 B. P. In The Natufian Culture in the Levant, edited by Bar-Yosef, O. and Valla, F. R., pp. 11-20. International Monographs in Prehistory, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Bar-Yosef, O., and Belfer-Cohen, A. 1989 The Origins of Sedentism and Farming Communities in the Levant. Journal of World Prehistory 3: 447-498.Google Scholar
Becker, B., and Kromer, B. 1986 Extension of the Holocene Dendrochronology by the Preboreal Pine Series, 8800 to 10, 100 BP. In Proceedings of the Twelfth International Radiocarbon Conference— Trondheim, Norway, edited by Stuiver, M. and Kra, R. S., pp. 961-967. Radiocarbon 28.Google Scholar
Becker, B., Kromer, B., and Trimborn, P. 1991 Absolute Minimum Age of the Late Glacial-Holocene Transition by Radiocarbon Calibration and Stable Isotope Analyses of a 1477-Year German Pine Dendrochronology. Radiocarbon 33: 174-175.Google Scholar
Berger, W. H. 1990 The Younger Dryas Cold Spell—A Quest For Causes. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (Global and Planetary Change Section) 89: 219-237.Google Scholar
Blumler, M. A. 1984 Climate and Annual Habit. Unpublished Master's thesis, Department of Geography, University of California, Berkeley.Google Scholar
Blumler, M. A. 1992 Winter-Deciduous Versus Evergreen Habit in Mediterranean Woodlands: A Model. In Proceedings of the Symposium on California's Oak Woodlands and Hardwood Rangeland Management, Davis, California. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experimentation Station General Technical Report. Berkeley, in press.Google Scholar
Cauvin, M-C. 1981 L' Epipaleolithique de Syrie d'apres les premieres recherches dans la cuvette d'el Kowm (1978-1979). In Prehistoire du Levant, edited by Cauvin, J. and Sanlaville, P., pp. 375-388. Colloques Internationaux du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 598. Editions du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris.Google Scholar
Charles, M. P., and Hillman, G. C. 1992 Neolithic Crop Husbandry in a Desert Environment: Evidence from the Charred Plant Macro-remains from Jeitun 1989-1990. In Jeitun Revisited: New Archaeological Discoveries and Palaeoenvironmental Investigations, edited by Masson, V. M. and Harris, D. R.. Proceedings of the Turkmenian Academy of Sciences, Ashkhabad. In Russian with Turkmen summary; typescript copies of English version available from Hillman, G. C..Google Scholar
Coope, G. R. 1975 Climatic Fluctuations in Northwest Europe Since the Last Interglacial, Indicated by Fossil Assemblages of Coleoptera. In Ice Ages: Ancient and Modern, edited by Wright, A. E. and Moseley, F., pp. 153-168. Geological Journal Special Issue No. 6. Seel House Press, Liverpool.Google Scholar
Coope, G. R. 1977 Fossil Coleopteran Assemblages as Sensitive Indicators of Climatic Changes During the Devensian (Last) Cold Stage. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B Biological Sciences 280: 313-340.Google Scholar
Dansgaard, W., Clausen, H. B., Gundestrup, N., Hammer, C. U., Johnsen, S. F., Kristinsdottir, P. M., and Reeh, N. 1982 A New Greenland Deep Ice Core. Science 218: 1273-1277.Google Scholar
Darmon, F., and Leroi-Gourhan, A. 1991 Analyses polliniques de stations natoufiennes au Proche-Orient. In The Natufian Culture in the Levant, edited by Bar-Yosef, O. and Valla, F. R., pp. 21-26. International Monographs in Prehistory, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Davis, M. B. 1986 Climatic Instability, Time Lags and Community Disequilibrium. In Community Ecology, edited by Diamond, J. and Case, T. J., pp. 269-284. Harper and Row, New York.Google Scholar
Edwards, P. C., Bourke, S. J., Colledge, S. M., Head, J., and Macumber, P. G. 1988 Late Pleistocene Prehistory in the Wadi al-Hammeh, Jordan Valley. In The Prehistory of Jordan, 2 vols., edited by Garrard, A. N. and Gebel, H. G., pp. 525-565. BAR International Series 396. British Archaeological Reports, Oxford.Google Scholar
El-Moslimany, A. P. 1986 Ecology and Late Quaternary History of the Kurdo-Zagrosian Oak Forest Near Lake Zeribar, Western Iran. Vegetatio 68: 55-63.Google Scholar
Fairbanks, R. G. 1989 A 17, 000-Year Glacio-eustatic Sea Level Record: Influence of Glacial Melting Rates on the Younger Dryas Event and Deep-Ocean Circulation. Nature 342: 637-642.Google Scholar
Garrard, A. N., Betts, A., Byrd, B., and Hunt, C. 1988 Summary of Palaeoenvironmental and Prehistoric Investigations in the Azraq Basin. In The Prehistory of Jordan, 2 vols., edited by Garrard, A. N. and Gebel, H. G., pp. 311-337. BAR International Series 396. British Archaeological Reports, Oxford.Google Scholar
Garrod, D. A. E. 1957 The Natufian Culture: The Life and Economy of a Mesolithic People in the Near East. Proceedings of the British Academy 43: 211-227.Google Scholar
Goldberg, P. 1981 Late Quaternary Stratigraphy of Israel: An Eclectic View. In Prehistoire du Levant, edited by Cauvin, J. and Sanlaville, P., pp. 55-66. Actes du Colloque International 598. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris.Google Scholar
Goring-Morris, A. N. 1987 At the Edge. 2 vols. BAR International Series 361. British Archaeological Reports, Oxford.Google Scholar
Hallam, S. J. 1989 Plant Usage and Management in Southwest Australian Aboriginal Societies. In Foraging and Farming, edited by Harris, D. R. and Hillman, G. C., pp. 136-151. Unwin Hyman, London.Google Scholar
Haynes, C. V., Jr. 1991 Geoarchaeological and Paleohydrological Evidence for a Clovis-Age Drought in North America and Its Bearing on Extinction. Quaternary Research 35: 438-450.Google Scholar
Henry, D. O. 1989 From Foraging to Agriculture. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Hillman, G. C. 1981 Reconstructing Crop Husbandry Practices from Charred Remains of Crops. In Farming Practice in British Prehistory, edited by Mercer, R., pp. 123-162. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Hillman, G. C. 1987 The Independent Adoption of Cereal Cultivation in the Northern Fertile Crescent: An Area-Specific Model. Paper presented at November 1987 meeting of the Association of Environmental Archaeology, Cardiff.Google Scholar
Hillman, G. C, Colledge, S. M., and Harris, D. R. 1989 Plant-Food Economy During the Epipalaeolithic Period at Tell Abu Hureyra, Syria: Dietary Diversity, Seasonality, and Modes of Exploitation. In Foraging and Farming, edited by Harris, D. R. and Hillman, G. C., pp. 240-268. Unwin Hyman, London.Google Scholar
Hillman, G. C, Madeyska, E., and Hather, J. G. 1989 Wild Plant Foods and Diet at Late Palaeolithic Wadi Kubbaniya: The Evidence from Charred Remains. In Stratigraphy, Palaeoeconomy and Environment, pp. 163-242 (references in vol. 3). The Prehistory of Wadi Kubbaniya, vol. 2, assembled by Wendorf, F. and Schild, R., and edited by Close, A. E.. Southern Methodist University Press, Dallas.Google Scholar
Hopf, M. 1983 Jericho Plant Remains. In Excavations at Jericho, vol. 5, by Kenyon, K. M. and Holland, T. A., B, Appendix, pp. 576-621. British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem, London.Google Scholar
Iversen, J. 1954 The Late-Glacial Flora of Denmark and Its Relation to Climate and Soil. Dansmarks Geologiske Undersogelse II, 80: 87-119.Google Scholar
Lee, D. 1959 Freedom and Culture. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.Google Scholar
Lee, R. B. 1979 The IKung San. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Legge, A. J., and Rowley-Conwy, P. A. 1987 Gazelle Killing in Stone Age Syria. Scientific American 257(2): 76-83.Google Scholar
Leroi-Gourhan, A. 1984 L'environnement de Mallaha (Eynan) au Natoufien. Paleorient 10: 103-105.Google Scholar
Moore, A. M. T. 1982 Agricultural Origins in the Near East: A Model for the 1980s. World Archaeology 14: 224-236.Google Scholar
Moore, A. M. T. 1985 The Development of Neolithic Societies in the Near East. Advances in World Archaeology 4: 1-69.Google Scholar
Moore, A. M. T. 1991 Abu Hureyra 1 and the Antecedents of Agriculture on the Middle Euphrates. In The Natufian Culture in the Levant, edited by Bar-Yosef, O. and Valla, F. R., pp. 277-294. International Monographs in Prehistory, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Moore, A. M. T. 1992 The Impact of Accelerator Dating at the Early Village of Abu Hureyra on the Euphrates. Radiocarbon 34(3), in press.Google Scholar
Niklewski, J., and van Zeist, W. 1970 A Late Quaternary Pollen Diagram from Northwestern Syria. Acta Botanica Neerlandica 19: 737-754.Google Scholar
Perrot, J. 1966 Le gisement natoufien de Mallaha (Eynan), Israel. L ‘Anthropologic 70: 437-484.Google Scholar
Roberts, N. 1982 Lake Levels as an Indicator of Near Eastern Palaeoclimates: A Preliminary Appraisal. In Palaeoclimates, Palaeoenvironments and Human Communities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in Later Prehistory, 2 vols., edited by Bintliff, J. L. and van Zeist, W., pp. 235-267. BAR International Series 133. British Archaeological Reports, Oxford.Google Scholar
Scott, E. M., Long, A., and Kra, R. (editors) 1990 Proceedings of the International Workshop on Intercomparison of Radiocarbon Laboratories. Radiocarbon 32: 253-397.Google Scholar
Shackleton, N. J., and Opdyke, N. D. 1976 Oxygen-Isotope and Paleomagnetic Stratigraphy of Pacific Core V28-239. Late Pliocene to Latest Pleistocene. In Investigations of Late Quaternary Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, edited by Cline, R. M. and Hays, J. D., pp. 449-464. Geological Society of America, Washington, D. C. Google Scholar
Shipek, F. C. 1989 An Example of Intensive Plant Husbandry: the Kumeyaay of Southern California. In Foraging and Farming, edited by Harris, D. R. and Hi Uman, G. C., pp. 159-170. Unwin Hyman, London.Google Scholar
Valla, F. R. 1988 Les premiers sedentaires de Palestine. La Recherche 19: 576-584.Google Scholar
van Zeist, W., and Bakker-Heeres, J. A. H. 1979 Some Economic and Ecological Aspects of the Plant Husbandry of Tell Aswad. Paleorient 5: 161-169.Google Scholar
van Zeist, W., and Bottema, S. 1977 Palynological Investigations in Western Iran. Palaeohistoria 19: 19-85.Google Scholar
van Zeist, W., and Bottema, S. 1982 Vegetational History of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East During the Last 20, 000 years. In Palaeoclimates, Palaeoenvironments and Human Communities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in Later Prehistory, 2 vols., edited by Bintliflfand, J. L. van Zeist, W., pp. 277-321. BAR International Series 133. British Archaeological Reports, Oxford.Google Scholar
van Zeist, W., Woldring, H., and Stapert, D. 1975 Late Quaternary Vegetation and Climate of Southwestern Turkey. Palaeohistoria 17: 53-143.Google Scholar
Webb, T. Ill 1986 Is Vegetation in Equilibrium with Climate? How to Interpret Late-Quaternary Pollen Data. Vegetatio 67: 75-91.Google Scholar
Wijmstra, T. A. 1969 Palynology of the First 30 Metres of a 120 m Deep Section in Northern Greece. Acta Botanica Neerlandica 18: 511-527.Google Scholar