Modelling the Pleistocene colonisation of Eastern Mediterranean islandscapes.

Theodora Moutsiou,Athos Agapiou,Zomenia Zomeni,Vasiliki Kassianidou,Christian Reepmeyer

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0258370

Abstract

Predictive models have become an integral part of archaeological research, particularly in the discovery of new archaeological sites. In this paper, we apply predictive modeling to map high potential Pleistocene archaeological locales on the island of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean. The model delineates landscape characteristics that denote areas with high potential to unearth Pleistocene archaeology while at the same time highlighting localities that should be excluded. The predictive model was employed in surface surveys to systematically access high probability locales on Cyprus. A number of newly identified localities suggests that the true density of mobile hunter-gatherer sites on Cyprus is seriously underestimated in current narratives. By adding new data to this modest corpus of early insular sites, we are able to contribute to debates regarding island colonisation and the role of coastal environments in human dispersals to new territories.

Highlights

Recent advances in the study of island colonisation, which showed the scale of hunter-gatherer interaction with maritime resources and island landscapes [1,2,3,4,5,6], require us to revisit the question of a potential Pleistocene human presence on Cyprus
The main aim of our model is to delineate a zone of high probability to unearth Pleistocene archaeological remains on the island of Cyprus that is as precise as possible
In our step we focused on Cyprus itself exploring patterns of Terminal Pleistocene archaeological sites and surface assemblages with typo-technological characteristics of a probable Palaeolithic age known from across the island (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Recent advances in the study of island colonisation, which showed the scale of hunter-gatherer interaction with maritime resources and island landscapes [1,2,3,4,5,6], require us to revisit the question of a potential Pleistocene human presence on Cyprus. Unequivocal evidence of material culture of this period is currently largely absent from Cyprus, but recent research has shown that an earlier colonisation of the island is viable [7]. The current absence of evidence might relate to missing research focus on earlier time periods rather than representing an archaeological reality. This paper presents a methodological approach that combines traditional archaeological practices and technological applications from the field of geoinformatics as a tool for the investigation of a potential Pleistocene colonisation of the island of Cyprus. Our emphasis is the Late Pleistocene (last 125 ka), we envisage that such an approach will be a useful means in the identification of archaeological sites of other periods too, in areas, where no archaeological sites have been found so far.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion