Natural Environment as a Determinative Factor in Greek Early Helladic Cultural Change on the Argive Plain

1. Natural Environment as a Determinative Factor in Greek Early Helladic Cultural Change on the Argive Plain Shriner, C.M, Elswick, E.R, Ripley, E.M., Schimmelmann, A. and Murray, H.H. Department of Geological Sciences Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

2. Introduction: This study is part of a larger set of studies which attempt to link cultural shifts in the Early Greek Bronze Age with long-term shifts in the physical environment (Brophy et al., submitted; Shriner et al., submitted).

3. Archaeological Problem: At Lerna we have evidence for a cultural change which is most noticeable during the periods Lerna III: C-D and Lerna IV, 2300-2000 B.C. Can we explain cultural changes at Early Bronze Age Lerna by an environmental change that began in the Mid-Holocene (7000 B.P.)?

4. Argolic Gulf carbonate nappes (highlands) ArgivePlain

5. Arcadian Mts. Xerias River carbonate nappes Argive Plain Heraion ruins

6. Environmental Research at Lerna: Zangger’s (1993) Holocene soil facies analyses for the east and west sides of the Argive Plain were compared with our Argive Plain Clay Pit, in the center of the Plain at the same position as Zangger’s Trench AP-SP-14 (Shriner and Murray, 2003). After Zangger, 1993

7. Alluvium GSC UG UPa LUG LMG LLG MZ LS

8. Sand-silt-clay weight percentages for the sedimentary zones in the Argive Plain Clay Pit profile

9. All samples contained some illite and kaolinite, indicating that deposition was in a fresh or brackish environment. On the basis of the clay mineralogy, particle size distribution, and the presence of terrestrial snails, there was no evidence of marine influence in the center of the plain.

10. The δ18O and δD isotopic composition of clays from the sediment profile indicates that weathering of parent rocks occurred in contact with meteoric water on land rather than in ocean water (background information: Savin and Epstein, 1970; Taylor 1971, 1972; Gat 1980, 1982; Gat and Carmi, 1987).

11. The sediments are terrestrial in origin. We suggest that these sediments reflect a delta. Holocene delta formation forced the archaeological change. We advocate Stanley and Warne’s (1997) model of global delta formation in the mid- Holocene (7000 - 5000 ka B.P.). After Stanley and Warne, 1997

12. After Stanley and Warne, 1997

13. The δ18O and δD isotopic composition of clays from the sediment profile indicates that weathering of parent rocks occurred in contact with meteoric water on land rather than in ocean water (background information: Savin and Epstein, 1970; Taylor 1971, 1972; Gat 1980, 1982; Gat and Carmi, 1987).

14. Acknowledgements: • THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES • THE COTTON FOUNDATION (UK) • INDIANA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE • SCHRADER ARCHAEOLOGICAL ENDOWMENT FUND (IU) • THE INSTITUTE OF AEGEAN PREHISTORY • THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF CLASSICAL STUDIES AT ATHENS • THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES, INDIANA UNIVERSITY • RUTH DROPPO, VISUAL CONSULTANT, INDIANA UNIVERSITY