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Late second–early first millennium BC abrupt climate changes in coastal Syria and their possible significance for the history of the Eastern Mediterranean

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

D. Kaniewski ,
E. Paulissen ,
E. Van Campo ,
H. Weiss ,
T. Otto ,
J. Bretschneider  and
K. Van Lerberghe
D. Kaniewski*
Affiliation:
Université de Toulouse, UPS, INPT, EcoLab (Laboratoire d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle), 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, 31055 Toulouse, France CNRS, EcoLab (Laboratoire d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle), 31055 Toulouse, France Center for Archaeological Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
E. Paulissen
Affiliation:
Physical and Regional Geography Research Group, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
E. Van Campo
Affiliation:
Université de Toulouse, UPS, INPT, EcoLab (Laboratoire d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle), 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, 31055 Toulouse, France CNRS, EcoLab (Laboratoire d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle), 31055 Toulouse, France
H. Weiss
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
T. Otto
Affiliation:
Université de Toulouse, UPS, INPT, EcoLab (Laboratoire d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle), 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, 31055 Toulouse, France CNRS, EcoLab (Laboratoire d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle), 31055 Toulouse, France
J. Bretschneider
Affiliation:
Near Eastern Studies Unit, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Faculteit Letteren, Blijde-Inkomststraat 21, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
K. Van Lerberghe
Affiliation:
Near Eastern Studies Unit, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Faculteit Letteren, Blijde-Inkomststraat 21, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
*
*Corresponding author. Université de Toulouse, UPS, INPT, EcoLab (Laboratoire d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle), 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, 31055 Toulouse, France. Fax: + 33 5 62 26 99 99. E-mail address: kaniewsk@cict.fr
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Abstract

The alluvial deposits near Gibala-Tell Tweini provide a unique record of environmental history and food availability estimates covering the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. The refined pollen-derived climatic proxy suggests that drier climatic conditions occurred in the Mediterranean belt of Syria from the late 13th/early 12th centuries BC to the 9th century BC. This period corresponds with the time frame of the Late Bronze Age collapse and the subsequent Dark Age. The abrupt climate change at the end of the Late Bronze Age caused region-wide crop failures, leading towards socio-economic crises and unsustainability, forcing regional habitat-tracking. Archaeological data show that the first conflagration of Gibala occurred simultaneously with the destruction of the capital city Ugarit currently dated between 1194 and 1175 BC. Gibala redeveloped shortly after this destruction, with large-scale urbanization visible in two main architectural phases during the Early Iron Age I. The later Iron Age I city was destroyed during a second conflagration, which is radiocarbon-dated at circa 2950 cal yr BP. The data from Gibala-Tell Tweini provide evidence in support of the drought hypothesis as a triggering factor behind the Late Bronze Age collapse in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Keywords

Abrupt climate changeLate Bronze Age collapseDark AgeGibala-Tell TweiniUgarit kingdomSyria
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 74 , Issue 2 , September 2010 , pp. 207 - 215
Copyright
University of Washington

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