Shedding light on the past

The Amuq valley in southern Turkey is an important and interesting area in the Near East forming a space-time bridge for archaeologists and scientists to ancient and modern civilizations. The Lake of Antioch which evolved dur ing the mid-late Holocene appears to have been located nearby some of the l argest human settlements existing during this period. By documenting the co nditions of the lake in time, using classical and modern approaches, the cl imate and geomorphology of the basin may be reconstructed. Synchrotron X-ra y fluorescence measurements were performed on sections of a sedimentary cor e from the lake, representing an estimated 7500yr of history. Analysis yiel ded the distribution of elemental masses spanning Ca to Mo as a function of depth from the surface. We find that the elemental concentrations measured follow a number of distinct patterns that may be related to local geomorph ology, climate and human activities. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rig hts reserved.