A 6000-year record of climate change from Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus

• Our study suggests that the history of civilisations in the Eastern Mediterranean has been partially affected by climate by contributing to social unrest and migration. Five important cold periods have been identified in the Hala Sultan Tekke palaeoclimate reconstruction at 5250±20, 4215±40, 3200±90, 1400±70 and 620±20 years BP. Each cold period is consistent with a significant instability in precipitation, mainly for winter and spring seasons. The 3.2ka BP event is not an isolated event and is part of the 1000-year cycles between the main cold and dry episodes at 5200, 4200 and 3200 BP. When occurring coevally, climate and socio-economic factors were probably important drivers of major crises, which appears to have been the case at Hala Sultan Tekke during the final period of the Late Bronze Age.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Arkeologi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- Archaeology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Climate

6000 years

Cyprus

Hala Sultan Tekke

Bronze Age

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)