GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT ARSLANTEPE. QUESTIONS, RESEARCH STRATEGY, PRELIMINARY RESULTS, AND POTENTIALS

Research questions, strategy, potentials, and first results of geoarchaeological investigations at Arslantepe are presented. The work is focused on the history of soils, relief, soil erosion, river acti- vity, and forest composition. The data are acquired from slope and alluvial sediments and buried soils as palaeoenvironmental archives. First results indicate that Holocene soil erosion has changed the soil cover and topography in the surroundings of Arslantepe considerably. A reddish brown Terra Rossa like soil was found deeply buried by slope deposits. Exposed at the surface during the early Holocene, it has been eroded or buried completely since then. The slope deposits that buried this soil were linked to agricultural land use or climate variability. Whereas there are traces of soil erosion during tell growth, the highest intensity of human impact has occurred during and since Roman Times obviously. Since all investigated sediments contain significant amounts of charcoal, they are promising to allow for re- constructions of palaeo-woodland composition for the catchment. KEYWORDS-Geoarchaeology, anthracology, Holocene sediments and soils, buried sites.