Climate, sea level, and culture in the Eastern Mediterranean 20 ky to the present

Abstract

Between the Last Glacial Maximum (ca. 18,000 years ago) and about 5,000 years ago, global sea level l fluctua tebdetween-130 m and 0 m, but in the Eastern Mediterranean, these fluctuations are not known with any precision. Similarly, the climate of the very late Pleistocene and early Holocene changed rapidly, but in the Eastern Mediterranean, these changes are hitherto not well documented nor securely dated. While the coastal sediments that accumulated during this period are well studied and precisely dated, their correlation with both sea level and climatic factors is still debated. Consequently, the possible impact of climatic events on the move from hunting and gathering to food production is also a matter of debate. © 2007 Springer.