A Vaulted Figurine from İnönü Cave: A New Link between the Balkans and Northwestern Türkiye

Spatial genetics of brown hares (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) from Turkey: Different gene pool architecture on either side of the Bosphorus?

The Romanian Black Sea coast including the Danube Delta region has been severely impacted by erosion, habitat loss and pollution. The Romanian Ministry of Environment (RME) recently sought solutions to these challenges through Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) planning. In 2008, Black & Veatch (BV) was awarded a United States Trade and Development Agency supported contract from RME to complete a detailed analysis, costing and recommendations for institutional support, for their COASTEROSION program. This study, in particular, recommended Institutional Strengthening to support the program's Geospatial and Related Data Collection System (GRDCS). The Romanian government passed legislation in 2002 supporting ICZM, and in 2004 created a National Committee for the Coastal Zone (NCCZ) to oversee coastal development and management. The NCCZ is currently a voluntary and under-funded organization with limited legislative and operational support. As conceived, this organization should be the focus of and provide the vision for IZCM. However the organization requires important administrative, technical and reporting adjustments to attain its legislative mandate and goals. The BV COASTEROSION team recommended that development and integration be combined under a new Coastal System Operations Center (CSOC). The CSOC would become the critical Institutional Strengthening step for the COASTEROSION program and the effectiveness of the NCCZ. The CSOC would be an operational group with these functions: (1) Providing independent technical analysis including Regional Sediment Modeling (RSM) to support (a) evaluation of the current health of the Black Sea Coast, (b) development of long- and short-term coastal impact assessments (c) development and evaluation of possible alternatives for proposed projects (d) communication of results; (2) Acting as a resource to the NCCZ through the Executive Committee and its Work Groups, supporting new policy, practice, monitoring, and impacts, and for completion of the national strategy for ICZM; (3) Providing ICZM, CSOC, RSM, and GRDCS training and outreach resources for RME and other government ministries, as well as local and regional entities; (4) Managing day to day data operations, maintenance, and management of GRDCS. This paper reviews issues related to ICZM on the Romanian Black Sea and Danube River delta coast, and provide an overview of the CSOC for possible adaptation by other countries involved with ICZM, RSM, training, and communication.

Although The Number Of Settlement Sites contemporary with the rise of the Odrysians is increasing, burials still form the principal body of evidence for the study of Thracian culture in the fifth century BC. Tumulus burial became widespread in Thrace and Macedonia at the beginning of the first millennium BC. Mound cemeteries abound in the east Balkan peninsula, usually in small scattered groups on riverter races or on low hills and spurs, chosen for their prominence in the landscape. A survey of tumuli in Turkish Thrace begun in 1980 has so far covered more than 3,000 mounds, thought to represent no more than IO per cent of the total in this region. There are no accurate figures for Bulgarian mounds, but even surviving numbers are likely to be several times greater than those of Turkish Thrace. Only samples have been excavated, often un systematically, so that details of the manner of burial are often vague. Area studies of dolmen cemeteries have shown that figures for presently surviving structures show a marked reduction since records began a century ago. The same is true of later tumuli in populated areas.

Throughout its history, Armenia, which emerged as an organized state by the middle of the second millennium BC, and was situated at the ancient crossroads of Orient and Occident on the highland located between the Mediterranean, the Black, and the Caspian seas, has come under the attack of rival empires. These include Assyrian, Mede, Achaemenian, Parthian, Sasanian, Arab, Seljuk and Mongol from the south and east; and Seleucid, Roman, Byzantine and Crusader from the west, who sought to absorb the land and its people into their dominions (Hovannisian, 1997, p. vii). For instance, present-day Armenia lies in the area which came under Persian rule after 428, it again became a battleground between the Ottomans and Persia until, in 1639, the two powers agreed that Western Armenia would be controlled by Turkey and eastern Armenia by Persia (Holding, 2011, pp. 16–17). Persian rule ended in eastern Armenia in 1724, when most Persian territory was divided between the Ottomans and Russia. The latter eventually established its hegemony in the South Caucasus by the early 19th century, when Tsarist Russia sought to strengthen its presence on the Black Sea coast in order to have a gateway to the Mediterranean (Trenin, 1996). According to Trenin (1996), Russian expansion in the Caucasus coincided with the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the fading power of Persia.

Ancient Cities surveys the cities of the Ancient Near East, Egypt, and the Greek and Roman worlds from the perspectives of archaeology and architectural history, bringing to life the physical world of ancient city dwellers by concentrating on evidence recovered from archaeological excavations. Urban form is the focus: the physical appearance and overall plans of the cities, their architecture and natural topography, and the cultural and historical contexts in which they flourished. Attention is also paid to non-urban features such as religious sanctuaries and burial grounds, places and institutions that were a familiar part of the city dweller's experience. Objects or artifacts that represented the essential furnishings of everyday life are discussed, such as pottery, sculpture, wall paintings, mosaics and coins. Ancient Cities is unusual in presenting this wide range of Old World cultures in such comprehensive detail, giving equal weight to the Preclassical and Classical periods, and in showing the links between these ancient cultures. User-friendly features include: use of clear and accessible language, assuming no previous background knowledge lavishly illustrated with over 300 line drawings, maps, and photos historical summaries, further reading arranged by topic, plus a consolidated bibliography and comprehensive index new to the second edition: a companion website with an interactive timeline, chapter summaries, study questions, illustrations and a glossary of archaeological and historical terms. Visit the website at https://routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/9780415498647/ In this second edition, Charles Gates has comprehensively revised and updated his original text, and Neslihan Yılmaz has reworked her acclaimed illustrations. Readers and lecturers will be delighted to see a new chapter on Phoenician cities in the first millennium BC, and new sections on Göbekli Tepe, the sensational Neolithic sanctuary; Sinope, a Greek city on the Black Sea coast; and cities of the western Roman Empire. With its comprehensive presentation of ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern cities, its rich collection of illustrations, and its new companion website, Ancient Cities will remain an essential textbook for university and high school students across a wide range of archaeology, ancient history, and ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and classical studies courses.

Abstract. The inundation situations on the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar territory for the period from 1945 until 2013 were analysed and the main types of inundations at the coast are described. Synoptic factors of the formation of extreme precipitation and rainfall floods, features and regularities of the downstream flood wave transformation in the rivers are also studied. Therefore, assessments of seasonal and maximum flow of the Black Sea coast rivers for the period of hydrometric measurements were done. Regularities of change of the occurrence of inundations and their characteristics on the coastal terrain were analysed, for a year and on a perennial timescale. Most catastrophic and exceptional inundations arise in the summer and in early autumn. Small inundations during the remaining year reflect the seasonal distribution of river flow and floods in the Black Sea rivers. Extensive and sometimes extreme precipitation dominates the river flow regimes. The seasonal distribution of small and moderately dangerous inundations reflects, on average, a water regime of two groups of rivers of the coast – to the north and to the south of the Tuapse River. To the north of the Tuapse River, floods prevail from November until March (up to 70 % of observed floods took place in this period) as a result of precipitation and winter snowmelt during frequent thaw periods. In winter, high waters often overlap to form a multi-peak high water of 2–3 weeks' duration. In the summer and in early autumn we observe a steady low flow. The total amount of runoff increases both in a southeast direction, and with the altitude of the river basins. Interannual variability of mean annual runoff, as well as maximum runoff, on the contrary decreases in the southern direction and with an increasing area of the river basins. The coastal high waters of the rivers of the Sochi part of the coast are typical at any time of the year, but more often floods in the cold season result from incessant rain, and thawing snow. Annually up to 25 floods have been observed. The principal reason of such distribution is the increase of extreme rainfall in the warm season. Orographic features of the coast and detailed features of rainfall only cover a small number of local river basins and a limited area. The geographical correlation of individual rainfall and subsequent floods ceases to be statistically significant for distances over 40–60 km. The annual flow cycle is mainly determined by two seasons, winter/spring and summer, with strong and weak flows, respectively; almost 71 % of all catastrophic and exceptional inundations took place in July–August (71 %) and in October–November (29 %). The characteristic features of dangerous floods are their rapid formation and propagation, a significant increase of water level (up to 5–7 m and more) and the multiple increase of water discharges in comparison with low flow period. Analysis of the interannual changes of the number of inundations at the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar territory has shown some increase of the number of inundations in the period from the early 1970s until the early years of the twenty-first century. Quantitative assessments of risk, hazard and damage for the population and economic activities from accidental inundations in the valleys of the Black Sea coast rivers show that economic and social losses from inundations at the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar territory are some of the highest in the Russian Federation. The basic conclusion from recent inundations is the need to consider not only the lower reaches and mouths of the Black Sea coast rivers where the main part of the social and economic development of the coast is concentrated, but also whole river basins and catchments. Further, an analysis of the efficiency of the measures applied at the coast to mitigate inundations and their after-effects is provided.

A survey of open-air sites in NW Turkey identified 16 Palaeolithic sites. Analysis of nearly 2000 lithics identified Lower, Middle, and Early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP) components. The Lower Palaeolithic is represented by a core-chopper/flake assemblage at one site and an assemblage with small bifaces at another. Middle Palaeolithic assemblages similar to the typical Balkan Mousterian were found at most sites, and an EUP assemblage similar to the Balkan Aurignacian was found on the Black Sea coast. Later Upper Palaeolithic cultures, e.g., Gravettian or Epigravettian, were not found. Palaeolithic sites were also not found in Turkish Thrace west of Büyük Çekmece, and a palaeoenvironmental barrier, perhaps a channel connecting the Marmara and Black Seas, may have existed before the Bosphorus was opened in the Holocene. A difference in the distribution of Lower-Middle Palaeolithic sites and EUP sites was also noted. EUP sites are clustered on the Black Sea coast while earlier sites are found in the interior and on the shores of the Sea of Marmara. This change in settlement pattern may support a hypothesis of cultural change between the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic and perhaps the replacement hypothesis for the peopling of Europe by early modern humans.

The study analyses the linguistic situation in the three Ukrainian oblasts on the Black Sea coast using survey data collected from 1,200 respondents before the Russian attack on Ukraine. At the end of the 18th century, this region was the core of a "new Russian" governate during Tsarist times. Previously, the region had been ruled by Tatars and there were neither Russian nor Ukrainian settlements. From the 19th century onwards, the Ukrainian and Russian population dominated. Since the annexation of the Crimea, these oblasts represent a crucial part of the Kremlin's plan to establish an "expanded New Russia (Novorossiya)" under Moscow's control - extending along the Ukrainian-Russian border and the northern Black Sea coast, reaching from Xarkiv to Odesa. This area is clearly at the forefront of Russia's current war goals since controlling it would allow them to establish the strategically important land bridge to Crimea. Linguistically, the area undoubtedly belongs to those regions of Ukraine where Russian was prominent, although apart from the Crimea at no time was there an ethnic Russian majority on the Black Sea coast - neither during Soviet times nor since Ukraine's independence. This means that the population with Ukrainian "nationality" also made strong use of Russian. This situation is being instrumentalized by Moscow as an argument for its military intervention to protect the Russian or Russian-speaking population. The study firstly describes the linguistic situation in the region, differentiating between the so-called mother tongue, the first language acquired and the principally-used language. It can be shown that the traditionally assumed dominance of Russian is actually far weaker when the population's "multicodality", including the mixed variety Suržyk, is included in the analysis. A differentiation is made between respondents with Ukrainian and Russian nationality throughout the analysis. Using statistical procedures such as principal component analysis and cluster analysis, the interdependencies between stated mother tongue, first language and multicodality are presented. Different motives for claiming a certain mother tongue can be identified among subgroups of respondents. The analysis focuses particularly on the questions of the extent to which central government measures to strengthen the position of Ukrainian since Ukraine's independence have changed respondents' preferences when choosing a code, and whether respondents have perceived social pressure for any form of shift. On the whole, it can be established that speakers with Ukrainian nationality who were primarily socialized in Russian have considerably increased their usage of Ukrainian, but without abandoning Russian. At best, this can also be established to a minimal extent for respondents with Russian nationality. Furthermore, since there is only extremely scant evidence that respondents encounter disapproval or censure from their environment for their choice of code (be it Russian, Suržyk or Ukrainian), Moscow's claim of persecution, if not genocide of the Russian-speaking population is exposed as a blatant lie.

The paper was generated by the identified needs for improved conservation strategy and long life professional training, particularly for science conservators, art historians, restorers and conservators, and equally contributes to: i) new education instruments for on-line access to advances research infrastructure; ii) real-time monitoring of in situ restoration intervention via advanced on-line platforms; iii) harmonized and cost effective protocols for investigations and interventions, which have to exclude unjustified overlapped analysis; iv) professional support in case of experimental data interpretation from experimented groups and called specialists.The most important reported result is a polyvalent open mobile laboratory, available online, that includes several optoelectronical techniques (laser spectroscopy methods, thermovision, 3D laser scanning, laser Doppler vibrometry, multispectral imaging, penetrating radar etc.). A case study of a tele-operated LIFS equipment is presented for exemplification. A server / client architecture, using an embedded HTML web-page on LIFS equipment side, allows for communication between the scanning head and a remote client.Interactive access to instruments and specialized large infrastructure, also a polyvalent restoration open workshop (as mobile laboratory operating on site) are already tested since March 2010. The first laser induced fluorescent image have been generated to the Roman Edifice with Mosaic from Contanta -- Black Sea coast- and data have been collected to National History and Archaeology Museum from Constanta.Concomitantly, these project links advanced scientific facilities, interested specialists for advanced instruction, and invited specialists to support proper experimental condition setup.

Kosyan, R.D.; Krylenko, M.V., and Krylenko, V.V., 2023. Current state of the northeast Black Sea coast along the Russian Caucasus. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(2), 317–327. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This paper describes the state of the NE Black Sea coasts in the 21st century. The modern development and economic use of these coasts in the conditions of climate change and anthropogenic load are analyzed. A geomorphological feature of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus is the predominance of denudation processes over accumulative ones. There is only one large accumulative sandy section—the Anapa Bay-Bar. Abrasion shores with narrow beaches are widespread in the NE part of the Russian Black Sea coast. There is no united longshore sediment flux. Local lithodynamic cells on concave sections of the shore are characteristic. The conditions of these shores are favorable for the use of local coast protection. In the SE section, the dynamics of the shores in natural conditions were determined by the sediment balance. The active abrasive processes were combined with a large volume of beach-forming sediments carried out by rivers. Up to the middle of the 20th century, there was a single longshore sediment flux toward the SE and broad beaches near river mouths. The Imereti Lowland was formed between the mouths of the Mzymta and the Psou rivers. Irrational and excessive technogenic transformation of the shoreline and river basins in 20th century resulted in a progressive lack of sediment supply. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the width of the beaches has been decreasing throughout the entire area, and the stability of the coast has been maintained artificially by shore protection structures. The Russian sector of the Caucasus Black Sea coast is now densely populated and is an important recreational and economic zone. The main problems that had to be solved in the past and will have to be solved in the future are the shortage of beaches and the protection of the coast and objects located on it from wave impacts.

Characteristics of soaring birds' spring migration over inland SE Bulgaria We investigated the scale and characteristics of spring migration of soaring birds in Bourgas district, SE Bulgaria during three 5-day periods in March (27th-31st), April (20th-24th) and May (12th-16th) 2008. Simultaneous counts were carried out from six observation points in two separate areas (Karnobat and Sredets), located 24.5 km and 37.3 km inland from the Black Sea coast, respectively. In total, 31,049 soaring birds of at least 27 species were counted, by far the most numerous being the White Stork Ciconia ciconia (23,358 ind.), followed by the Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina (3,112 ind.). In Karnobat area, situated farther from the Black Sea coast, the total number of soaring migrants (21,231) was more than two-fold higher than in Sredets area (9,818). Overall, there was a significant difference in flock size and flight altitude within separate area (i.e. among observation points) as well as between the two observation areas and the three 5-day periods. However, there was a substantial variance in factors significantly affecting the flock size and flight altitude among most numerous individual species. In general, birds passed at much higher altitude above Karnobat area (mean flight altitude 208.3 m ± 6.4) compared to Sredets area (mean flight altitude 130.5 m ± 4.4). In both observation areas, northern direction was the most commonly observed flight direction (46.3% of all recorded flight directions). The highest numbers of soaring migrants passed in the late afternoon, between 15.00 and 18.00 hrs - 11,554 individuals (43.0% of all birds counted). The study confirmed that the front of Western Black Sea migration route, or "Via Pontica" as part of the Mediterranean/Black Sea Flyway in SE Bulgaria, is rather wide, since the magnitude of inland migration in Bourgas district can be compared with that along the Black Sea coast, at least during spring migration. Both observation areas qualify as Important Bird Areas (IBA) of European importance according to the several BirdLife International criteria. We recommend that any new wind farms built should avoid the area of Hisar Hill south of Karnobat and the NW parts of Sredets Municipality.

In the spring of 2012 an archaeological survey was conducted within the Rayen region in order to explore all the archaeological periods in this region and document all archaeological settlement patterns of this region. In general, 52 archaeological sites were discovered and documented which included all prehistoric and historic sites. Among these sites, three of them seem to belong to the Paleolithic period. This paper aims to describe one which, based on the available materials, technological and typological characteristics,is most likely from the Epi-Paleolithic, which is not well known from other parts of Iran. This specific era in Iranian Paleolithic studies and its existence and all its characteristics, complexity and their distributions around the country are highly unknown, especially from the southeastern Iran. Since this site is an open-air location, the only way to determine its approximate age is based on available materials. To achieve this, we have done analysis on the technological and typological characteristics of this site's lithics. In this paper, we describe the lithics and their technological and typological characteristics in order to determine the main production techniques and approximate age.

During the First World War, deportation was carried out in the Black Sea region as a result of the activities of the Greeks such as espionage and gangs (1916). With this practice, the transfer of the Black Sea Greeks to the inner regions took place. During the years of the National Struggle, the Greeks of the Black Sea continued their activities of espionage, gangs and associations. In 1919, while the Greek activities in the Black Sea region continued intensively, the events intensified in the Samsun region. The Greek gangs, equipped with weapons and ammunition that were brought to the region by secret means, started to show their influence in Trabzon after the occupation of Izmir. The Ankara Government had to take some precautions especially for the Black Sea Greeks who were working to establish the Pontus state. Independence courts were appointed in regions where Pontic activities were intense. At the same time, the Central Army was formed (December 1920). On March 26, 1921, the Greeks declared that they would formally blockade the Black Sea coast and treat captured Turkish officers and soldiers as pirates, confiscate war material and sink Turkish ships. The activities of the Greek ships in the region opened up the possibility of the Greeks to make a landing and open a second front. After the bombing of İnebolu on 9 June, the Central Army offered to transfer the Greeks. The transfer of the Christian population on the Black Sea coast on 12 June was not found appropriate. However, the entire Black Sea coast was declared a war zone. In a very short time, with a new decree, a decision was made for the transfer of 15-50 year old Greeks who were able to hold a gun in the Black Sea. Guard units were formed against the dangers that may be encountered on the roads during the transport. In 1921, the transfer of the Greeks to the inner regions took place in the form of convoys.

It has been determined that morphology and dynamic of different inlets has typical natural distinctions according to Tsaregradsky inlet example. Purpose: consider the Holocene's history of formation and the natural natural features of the typical strait through the sand dunes of the Dniester liman, which provides water exchange between the Dniester fresh water and sea salt water on the Black Sea coast. Analyze research materials and identify the natural features of the water duct and seabed. Metods and main tasks of the article. Authors used a several methods of the investigation for the article. For instance, its were field's descriptions, cartography, mathematical statistics, geological, coastal analysis etc.In order to achieve the goal, the following main tasks must be solved: a) to identify the types of ducts in different parts of the oceans; b) consider the surrounding natural conditions of the research area; c) the reasons for which the flow changes; d) distinctive features of the Tsaregrad Strait from all others. Finding and results. This article shows for the first time the main natural features of the inlet through a large sand dipping of a large liman on the Black Sea coast. The sandy barrier is a separate element to the complex mouthpiece of one of the big rivers of Europe — the Dniester River, and the inlet is under significant influence on the long-coastal flow of sediment on the offshore flank. Investigated flushing strait are different from the rest of all sounds of the world, and above all — according to the dynamism and development of the laws of the evolution of the coastal zone of the seas. Under the influence of the drain flow, large vertical deformations undergo the bottom of the inlet, especially during spring flood and flood-over-sea levels of sea and liman. The depth of the inlet may increase by 40-45% relative to the average value. Almost every flushing inlet has cones of discharge of river and denudation sedimentary material, with impurities of coastal-shore sediment. They block the coast from the effect of wind waves and cause a special, not similar to any other litodynamic regime of sediment movement along the Dniester reburial. The Dniestr is generally a full-flowing river, which makes about 2.6 million tons per year of alluvium in average. However, during the past century the river almost does not participate in the feeding of the coastal zone with beach-forming deposits. The main part of 0.1 mm fractions is inhibited in the Dniester and Turunchuk valleys and delta. The rest of the sand and almost all of the aleurite fractions remain at the bottom of the liman. Therefore, in the sea and at the coastal bottom, almost completely pelitic and sub-collodic fractions are discharged, which do not remain in the coastal zone and do not take part in the feeding of accumulative forms of relief. Key Words: Black Sea; Tsaregradsky inlet; environment; wind; wave; relief; water discharge.

Trends in the sea level and land on the Black Sea coast were explored by using the average annual sea level data on the set of stations in the period from 1874 to 2015. The common regular feature of temporal variability of interannual fluctuations in the Black Sea was the dominance of wave-like rise with varying intensity stages. The value and intensity of interannual tectonic shifts of coastal land on the Black Sea were estimated during the same period with using the method of water leveling. It is shown that uneven subsidence of coastal land is a mirroring of the sea-level rise. Herein, the processes that are taking place in the coastal land and on the sea bottom are determining the fluctuations in sea level. Long-term variability of the sea level fluctuations on long-term time-series stations (140 years) had the following stages: 1875—1925 — weak lowering with intensity of about – 0,02 to – 0,16 cm/ year; 1926—1965 — intensive sea-level rise + 0,30 cm/year; 1966—1995 — growth with smaller intensity + 0,20 cm/year; 1996—2015 — again lowering with intensity – 0,09 cm/year. The stages of sea level fluctuations on short-term stations are also synchronized in the last decade. The stable lowering of average heights of sea level in the 1996—2015 years was found on 7 of the 10 analyzed stations, and on other 3 stations, the tendency of reducing the intensity of level growth was observed. The short and sharp of sea level and similar fallings of the sea bottom were found in series of average annual data. These disturbances were observed nearly simultaneously on all the analyzed stations with quasi decade frequency and had cycle time 3—4 years (sometimes up to 5 years) and amplitude up to 10—17 cm (usually 12 cm). Sometimes the discrete peaks of the sea level (as soon as fallings of the sea bottom) were observed in pairs