Overview

This volume presents a study of local landscape histories in the Kahramanmarash valley—a previously understudied, but pivotal, crossroads along the Syro-Anatolian frontier. It provides a detailed outline of the myriad ways that the ancient residents of this region between Syria and Anatolia made it their home for over seven thousand years. The book is a final report on the surface surveys carried out in the Kahramanmaraş region of southeastern Turkey between 1993 and 2000 that several thousand years ago was removed from the centers of political power, pulled between Antioch to the south and the areas along the Euphrates to the east. An overview of the environmental factors affecting settlement in the survey area includes a record of settlement patterns beginning with the Neolithic and ending with the Islamic era, and the results of intensive full coverage and transect surveys around Domuztepe. These various lines of inquiry are integrated into a broadly based picture of how the ancient residents of the valley made this zone between Syria and Anatolia their home. Each of the seven data chapters presents a study of settlement patterns, followed by the ceramic indicators used to date the sites. The Holocene vegetation history of central southern Turkey is presented in relation to climatic changes and human impact through the pollen analytical results of a deep core obtained from a former Sağlık (Gavur) lake bed. This data contributes to the study of Near Eastern palynology as well as revealing the environmental factors affecting local settlements over time. Of note is the change from a lacustrine to marshy conditions in the central lake that denote increased drying from 1250 BCE.

Full Product Details

Author:   Elizabeth Carter
Publisher:   Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA
Imprint:   Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA
Dimensions:   Width: 22.30cm , Height: 3.10cm , Length: 28.50cm
Weight:   1.562kg
ISBN:  

9781950446483

ISBN 10:   1950446484
Pages:   430
Publication Date:   14 April 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Kahramanmaraş Valley—A Crossroads at the Foot of the Mountains Elizabeth Carter Chapter 2 Part I: Holocene Environmental Change in the Kahramanmaraş Valley: The Palynological Evidence of the Sağlik Ovası Hendrik Woldring, Harm Jan Streurman, Johannes van der Plicht, Elsa Kleine, and Ceran Şekeryapan Part II: Climate Change in the Kahramanmaraş Valley during the Late Glacial and Early Holocene Ceran Şekeryapan, Mehmet Yeşiltaş, and Hendrik Woldring Chapter 3: The Neolithic: The First Settlers in the Kahramanmaraş Valley Çiğdem Atakuman Chapter 4: The Local Late Chalcolithic: The Expansion of Settlement in the Kahramanmaraş Valley Elizabeth Carter Chapter 5: The Early Bronze Age: Fragmentation within the Kahrmamanmaraş Valley Elizabeth Carter Chapter 6: The Middle and Late Bronze Ages in the Kahramanmaraş Valley: From the Kingdom of Mamma to the Rise of Gurgum Elizabeth Carter Chapter 7: The Iron Age in Gurgum and Assyria Elizabeth Carter Chapter 8: The Hellenistic–Late Roman Period in Maraş and Commagene Elizabeth Carter and Peter Stone Chapter 9: ‘Amq al-Mar‘ash: Settlement and Land Use on the Frontier in the Islamic Periods Alexander Asa Eger Chapter 10: Model Building and the Identification of Settlement Change in the Kahramanmaraş Valley Elizabeth Mullane Steadman Chapter 11: Summary and Prospects for Future Research Elizabeth Carter Appendix 1: Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic Traces Jeffrey Brantingham and Elizabeth Healey Appendix 2: Site Gazetteer, online at the Alexandrian Archive Institute: Elizabeth Carter et al

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Author Information

Elizabeth F. Carter is a Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA.

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