A pollen profile from the harbour basin of Elaia/Pergamum to investigate the vegetation changes in NW-Turkey during the last 7500 years.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Helmut Brückner
• Subject Area: Physical Geography
• Term: from 2013 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 243185369

A sediment core from the closed harbour basin of Elaia, the former harbour city of Pergamum (NW Turkey), has already been analysed by sedimentological and geochemical criteria. In the frame of the requested project this core shall be studied from a palynological perspective. The aim is to reconstruct the vegetation history of the region, for which as yet a solid palaeobotanical investigation is missing. The project aims for eliminating this deficit. Preliminary research has shown that the geoarchive harbour basin is well suited for this kind of study, since (i) it is rich in well preserved pollen; (ii) a proper chronological sequence is given without age inversions; and (iii) it spans the last 7,500 years, i.e. the period from late Atlantic times until today. It is, therefore, also an excellent tool for contributing to the ongoing man vs. climate debate. From 300 BC until 300 AD Elaia experienced a heyday since it possessed the prominent harbour of ancient Pergamum, used for military and economic purposes. Thus, a special focus of the project will be put on vegetation and environment changes caused by the rise, prosperity period and fall of the settlement.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Dr. Maria Knipping