I WROTE:
<<And during the mesolithic the Anatolian Plateau was Steppic - climatically
identical to that of the Ukraine about 4000BC.>>
JOHN BERRY WROTE:
<<This doesn't sound right to me. Dan Milton, can you give a better fix on
climates? I think that 7500 BC is in what used to be known as the "Atlantic"
climatic regime, and 4000 BC is in what used to be known as the "Boreal"
period. The Atlantic was warm and wet (at least in NW Europe, where it was
defined), and the Boreal colder than today....So the climates of Anatolia in
7500 BC would not have been more similar to the Ukraine in 4000 BC, but the
two climates were more different than they are at any given time.
...so any documentation you know of, Steve, would help me in other,
non-linguistic endeavors.>>
John,
First, note that I wrote the "ANATOLIAN PLATEAU" - which is in central,
west-central of Asia Minor. The coast and most eastern sectors had different
climates back then and today.
Then go to:
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~tjms/europe.html
http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/nercEUROPE.html
You will find a compilation of long-term climatic data of Europe and vicinity
for the ESD Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with a good deal of bibliographic
sources.
Scroll down first to Europe during the Younger Dryas - 10,800-10,000 14C ya
and then to Europe during the early Holocene - 9,000 - 8,000 14C ya
and Europe under mid-Holocene conditions - since 7,000-5,000 14C ya
Check out
http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/NEW_MAPS/europe4.gif
Note that the central plateau in Asia Minor is indicated as "dry steppic".
Regarding the Ukraine, the following is noted, with the conclusion that in
the lower Holocene and today the area is "dry steppic".
"Steppic belt not forested. Huntley (1992) and Huntley & Prentice (1993)
suggest that what is presently the steppic region of southern Russia, Ukraine
and Bulgaria seems to have been largely forested during the lower and mid
Holocene, with Picea, Betula and Pinus . However, E. Zelikson (pers. comm.,
May 1994) is strongly of the opinion that this area was not forested, and
that although Betula and Pinus were present, they were a very minor element
in the landscape (and Picea was not present at all). Instead, Zelikson
suggests the pollen diagrams, buried soils and zoological evidence from this
region show dominance by dry steppic herbaceous species, typical of
present-day open steppes."
There is a bit about Italy in the compilation also.
Steve Long