Etienne Paulissen

Pollen analysis of two travertine sections in Basköy (southwestern Turkey): implications for environmental conditions during the early Holocene

Two travertine sections in the valley of Baskoy, near the archaeological site of Sagalassos have been palynologically investigated. The base of one of these sections has been dated to 9000±600 yr B.P. by the U/Th dating technique. The pollen diagrams of both sections reveal the importance of deciduous Quercus and Betula woodlands during deposition of the travertine. The development of woodlands in the early Holocene implies an increase in humidity after the Late Pleistocene. An annual precipitation of at least 500 mm/yr is suggested. A study of the δ18O values of the travertines in the sections indicates a change to higher precipitation temperatures of the travertines and hence a climatic change to higher air temperatures around 9000±600 yr B.P. This increase in temperature is not documented in the pollen diagrams. The evaluation of the local pollen curves provides additional information on the depositional environment. The facies and pollen analyses indicate that the travertines were deposited in a fluvial–barrage system. High abundances of Cyperaceae pollen suggest a marshy environment and fluctuating water levels of this early Holocene fluvial-barrage system. High percentages of Poaceae and/or Aster and Mentha–Thymus pollen types point to drier local conditions at the beginning and the end of the travertine accumulation of both sections.