Mehmet Özdoğan

Fission track dating obsidians in Central and Northern Anatolia

Twenty obsidian samples from Central and North Anatolia were dated by the fission track method. Split samples analyzed in two different laboratories give consistent results. Data presented refer to three volcanic fields and are summarized as follows: Orta-Sakaeli (Northern Anatolia) obsidians with ages from 21–23 Ma; Göllü Dagi dome complex near Çiftlik (Central anatolia) has given ages between 1.33–0.98 Ma; Acigöl caldera (Central Anatolia) shows three age groups: (1) Eruptions of precaldera (Bogazköy) obsidians with ages 0.18–0.15 Ma; (2) Formation of the large intracaldera dome Kocadag-Taskesiktepe at about 0.08 Ma (uncorrected “apparent” age of 0.075 Ma); and (3) Acigöl peripheral obsidian domes with plateau ages of 0.020 and 0.019 Ma, and an additional uncorrected age of 0.018 Ma form a distinct age group. This fission track parameters discriminate between the various obsidian sources of prehistoric obsidian artifacts.

An Alternative Approach in Tracing Changes in Demographic Composition

The dispersal of the Neolithic way of life from the place of its origin to other regions and the way this was achieved is one of the most debated, but at the same time challenging, problems of Neolithic archaeology. To resolve this problem, numerous contradictory models, ranging from local developments to demic movements have been suggested. No matter how contradictory these models are, their verification would, in each case, depend on proving whether or not there has been a demographic shift from one region to the other. Thus, understanding the demographic structure of both the primary and the secondary zone of neolithisation becomes essential in answering the question. This, evidently is also intermingled with the problem why there was a decline in the population at the core area by the end of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Period.

Chemical characterisations of Anatolian obsidians by instrumental and epithermal neutron activation analysis

Obsidian is a volcanic glass which is generally black, sometimes grey, brown, red or green in colour and characterised by a glassy appearance and conchoidal fractures. It is formed by the sudden cooling of the molten, generally acid magma with high water content. Obsidian was widely used for tool-making during prehistoric times. This work concems the chemical characterisation of obsidian occurrences from Northem, Central and Eastem Anatolia by Instrumental and Epithemal Neutron Activation Analysis for obtaining an accurate “fingerprint” for discrimination of potential natural sources of raw material that would permit tracing the origin of archaeological obsidian artefacts.

The Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara and Bronze Age Archaeology: An Archaeological Predicament

A survey of the archaeological evidence from the Marmara region, northwestern Turkey, presents significant problems concerning the Bronze Age cultures of the region. One of the striking results is the total absence of Bronze Age settlements along the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara and of the Bosphorus. The absence of sites in this region, when considered together with the presence of submerged Bronze Age sites in the Black Sea, orients questions towards the water exchange system between the Black Sea and Marmara.

Mediterranean as a Supra-Regional Interaction Sphere During Late Prehistory: An Overview on Problems and Prospects

In spite of its vast extent, Mediterranean is a landlocked marine body critically located between three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa, each having its distinct cultural identity. Actually cultural disparity among regions encircling the Mediterranean is not just confined to lands along opposing shores, but also to the neighbouring peninsulas, indented topographic or desert environments making interaction through land almost impossible, thus the sea as the mediator has always been indispensable. Seafaring being relatively easy, enabled cultural interaction among distinct cultural zones that otherwise would be unaware of others existence. In this respect, the Mediterranean played a critical role in the emergence and development of civilization. There is now growing evidence from previously uninhabited islands such as Cyprus and Crete that seafaring along the Mediterranean began much earlier than previously assumed, at the latest by 14,000 BC. On the other hand, there are considerable problems in attaining evidence on the use of maritime environments in the past as the coastal morphology has gone through radical changes during the last 15000 years. Coastal sites have either been inundated due to rise in sea levels or deeply buried by alluvial deposition, which necessitates extinsive multidisciplinary studies, particularly on geoarchaeology.