THE PALEOGEOGRAPHY OF LIMAN TEPE, TURKEY: A MULTI-PROXY GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY

The coastal area of Liman Tepe, Turkey was investigated to determine the changes that have occurred in the past 6000 years. Questions related to Early Bronze Age natural harboring areas and coastal configuration were addressed. Archaeologists hypothesized that a submerged feature offshore from the Bronze Age site of Liman Tepe served as a harbor during the Bronze Age occupation of the site. A series of methodologies including geochemical (d18O and d13C), sedimentological, archaeological, and micropaleontological methods were applied to create a paleogeographic reconstruction of the area. Samples were collected from sediment cores and archaeological trenches. Environmental facies were established based on the results of the multi-proxy data. These facies were compared to known sequence stratigraphy models from coastal sites worldwide, thereby determining the impacts of sea-level change, sedimentation, neo-tectonics, and anthropogenic activities on the geography of the coastline of Liman Tepe.

Analysis of the results indicate that the coastline of Liman Tepe consists of a transgressive systems tract followed by shoreline progradation. Shallow sediment bars resulting from long shore transport were the primary cause of shoreline progradation. The submerged feature under investigation was determined to be unrelated to the Early Bronze Age phase of the site. Suggestions for alternate Early Bronze Age harboring areas were made based on the paleogeographic reconstructions.

This study demonstrates the efficacy of applying a multi-proxy methodology to test existing models of coastal archaeological sites. The results provide recommendations for further inquiry at Liman Tepe and provides a template from which other coastal archaeological sites can be approached.