Palaeoecological and archaeological evidence for human occupance in southwest Turkey: the Beyşehir occupation phase

The mountains of the Eastern Mediterranean have a long history of human occupation and exploitation of the natural environment (Grenon, Batisse 1989; McNeil 1992). Whilst the reconstruction of vegetation and human-induced landscape change is primarily based upon pollen analysis and other palaeoecological methods, the history of human occupation relies heavily upon archaeology, including field survey information and excavation reports. Both palaeoecology and archaeology are supplemented by historical accounts, especially for later periods, and when these data sources are combined they have the potential to provide a much fuller picture of settlement and landscape change than the reliance on a single source (Wagstaff 1985). There are, however, problems and limitations associated with each of the different data sources.