Modelling the Pleistocene colonisation of Eastern Mediterranean islandscapes

PLoS One. 2021 Oct 27;16(10):e0258370. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258370. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Predictive models have become an integral part of archaeological research, particularly in the discovery of new archaeological sites. In this paper, we apply predictive modeling to map high potential Pleistocene archaeological locales on the island of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean. The model delineates landscape characteristics that denote areas with high potential to unearth Pleistocene archaeology while at the same time highlighting localities that should be excluded. The predictive model was employed in surface surveys to systematically access high probability locales on Cyprus. A number of newly identified localities suggests that the true density of mobile hunter-gatherer sites on Cyprus is seriously underestimated in current narratives. By adding new data to this modest corpus of early insular sites, we are able to contribute to debates regarding island colonisation and the role of coastal environments in human dispersals to new territories.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Archaeology*
  • Fossils
  • Hominidae

Grants and funding

This work was co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research and Innovation Foundation (POST-DOC/0916/0185) for the project Water Routes in Human Island Dispersals: Modeling the Pleistocene Exploitation of Cyprus (PLEICY, 2018-2020, TM, VK). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The open access fees of the article have been covered by the Research Activity (3/319) of Dr Athos Agapiou (AA).