Sponsored by: Archaeological Institute of America
Anatolia, the region encompassed by the modern nation of Turkey, was home to early agricultural societies, indigenous territorial states, and expansive empires, from the Assyrians to Ottomans. A new integrative study of all previously published archaeological plant data from this region has produced new insights into the history of agriculture across Anatolia, from its origins to the late Medieval period. We identify regionally variable timing in the adoption of new crops, the tension between ecological constraints and economic incentives for arboriculture and viticulture, and the effects of pre-modern climate change and political change on agricultural strategies. A focus on the Roman to Ottoman periods highlights the complementing push and pull factors that drove agricultural innovation and change during a politically complex period of Anatolian history.
Matson Lecture
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