HOLOCENE VEGETATION OF THE VAN AREA - PALYNOLOGICAL AND CHRONOLOGICALEVIDENCE FROM SOGUTLU, TURKEY

Evidence of the terrestrial pollen precipitation in the Van area, obta ined from the marsh of Sogutlu, is compared with the lacustrine record from Lake Van, eastern Turkey. The radiocarbon chronology of the vege tation history of the Van area is compared with that from varve counti ng. The first method produced the most probable results, supported by palynological investigations in other parts of Turkey and Iran. The co mbination of radiocarbon dating and palynological correlation dates th e sediments of Lake Van 1100 to 2200 years older than the varve dating . The indicator value of Cerealia-type pollen as evidence of prehistor ic agriculture is discussed and compared with results from observation s on modern crops. In the present study, Cerealia-type pollen may have been produced by wild grasses growing in the marsh.