Neolithic Dispersals (6500–5500 BC)

Abstract

The period between 6500 and 5500 BC is a period of profound transformations in the Prehistory of Asia Minor with ramifications far beyond the peninsula. In particular, this is the stage during which the Neolithic way of life expanded out of the steppe region of the southern interior of Asia Minor, in parallel with similar developments in the Fertile Crescent, and towards the adjacent regions of the Lake District, Aegean Turkey, and the Marmara Region, and ultimately towards Greece and the Balkans. In this chapter, the evidence from this crucial period will be discussed for the regions to the west, northwest, and southeast of Central Anatolia in which the Neolithic way of life was taken up during this period. The transformations that occurred within Central Anatolia itself are also considered. Apart from the traditional questions – whether, first, the spread of the Neolithic was the result of a demographic expansion of farmers; or, second, should be seen as the transformation of local hunter-gatherer groups; or, third, was a combination of the two – we should also ask why the expansion of the Neolithic way of life occurred at around 6500 BC.