Sediment cascades and the entangled relationship between human impact and natural dynamics at the pre‐pottery Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe, Anatolia

A meta-analysis of radiocarbon ages from Göbekli Tepe reveals two distinct phases of intensified geomorphodynamic activity, occurring between 7.4–7.0 and 5.8–3.3 thousand years ago (ka BP). These periods align with demographic growth in southern Turkey and significant climatic variations across the region, including the introduction of organized agriculture and the seeder plough. The study employs sediment cascades as a framework to disentangle the complex interplay between human impact—such as population growth, sedentism, and livestock herding—and natural dynamics like climate variability. While these phases correlate with broader trends in the Eastern Mediterranean, neither the Younger Dryas–Holocene transition nor early herding practices left a clear geomorphological signature. The research highlights the challenges of reconstructing past landscapes shaped by both human societies and environmental changes.

Nykamp, M., Becker, F., Braun, R., Pöllath, N., Knitter, D., Peters, J., & Schütt, B. (2020). Sediment cascades and the entangled relationship between human impact and natural dynamics at the pre‐pottery Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe, Anatolia. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 46(2), 430–442. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5035