Climatic changes and social transformations in the Near East and North Africa during the 'long' 4th millennium BC: A comparative study of environmental and archaeological evidence
Climatic changes and social transformations in the Near East and North Africa during the 'long' 4th millennium BC: A comparative study of environmental and archaeological evidence
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DOI：
10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.10.003
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发表时间：
2016-03-15
影响因子：
4
通讯作者：
Zerboni, Andrea
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Clarke, Joanne;Brooks, Nick;Zerboni, Andrea
本文探讨了快速气候变化（RCC）和近东和周边地区（安纳托利亚，叙利亚中部，以色列南部，美索不达米亚，塞浦路斯和撒哈拉东部和中部）在'长'公元前4500-3000年期间的社会变化之间的可能联系。20个陆地和20个海洋气候代用指标用于确定湿度的长期趋势，包括从潮湿到干旱的过渡，反之亦然。在这些记录的相对干旱事件的频率分布计算期间6300-2000 BC，使结果可以解释的背景下，建立干旱事件与RCC约6200和2200 BC（8.2和4.2 kyr事件）。我们确定了两个不同的事件，在早期-中期的第4个千年和公元前4世纪后期的干旱加剧。这些事件集中在公元前3600-3700年和3100-3300年。也有证据表明，在公元前5000年和公元前6000年出现了局部干旱高峰。这些结果被用作解释区域和当地考古记录的背景，特别侧重于叙利亚西部，幼发拉底河中部，以色列南部和塞浦路斯的案例研究。对记录的解释涉及构建人类-气候相互作用的合理叙述，这些叙述以当代（即21世纪世纪）气候变化和适应文献中的适应和恢复力概念为依据。这些结果与撒哈拉中部和东部受气候影响的社会变化的有据可查的例子一起提出，在那里，对古代环境进行了详细的地貌研究，并与考古研究相结合。虽然对近东和东地中海的叙述仍然有些推测性，但使用复原力和适应框架可以更细致地处理人类气候相互作用，并认识到人类对气候和环境变化的反应的多样性和背景特异性。我们的研究结果表明，有必要在考古发掘过程中收集更多的当地环境数据。(C)2015年，作者。爱思唯尔有限公司出版
This paper explores the possible links between rapid climate change (RCC) and social change in the Near East and surrounding regions (Anatolia, central Syria, southern Israel, Mesopotamia, Cyprus and eastern and central Sahara) during the 'long' 4th millennium (similar to 4500-3000) BC. Twenty terrestrial and 20 marine climate proxies are used to identify long-term trends in humidity involving transitions from humid to arid conditions and vice versa. The frequency distribution of episodes of relative aridity across these records is calculated for the period 6300-2000 BC, so that the results may be interpreted in the context of the established arid episodes associated with RCC around 6200 and 2200 BC (the 8.2 and 4.2 kyr events). We identify two distinct episodes of heightened aridity in the early-mid 4th, and late 4th millennium BC. These episodes cluster strongly at 3600-3700 and 3100-3300 BC. There is also evidence of localised aridity spikes in the 5th and 6th millennia BC. These results are used as context for the interpretation of regional and local archaeological records with a particular focus on case studies from western Syria, the middle Euphrates, southern Israel and Cyprus. Interpretation of the records involves the construction of plausible narratives of human-climate interaction informed by concepts of adaptation and resilience from the literature on contemporary (i.e. 21st century) climate change and adaptation. The results are presented alongside well-documented examples of climatically-influenced societal change in the central and eastern Sahara, where detailed geomorphological studies of ancient environments have been undertaken in tandem with archaeological research. While the narratives for the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean remain somewhat speculative, the use of resilience and adaptation frameworks allows for a more nuanced treatment of human climate interactions and recognises the diversity and context-specificity of human responses to climatic and environmental change. Our results demonstrate that there is a need for more local environmental data to be collected 'at source' during archaeological excavations. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.