Abstract/Summary

This thesis investigates the environmental history of the Zagros region across the Late Pleniglacial, Lateglacial and Holocene (~17,700-2200 yrs BP), which corresponds to the Epipalaeolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze, and Iron Age archaeological periods, in order to characterise and explain the changes in the vegetation cover and critically evaluate their interrelationships with anthropogenic activity and climate change. This research also aims to address the limitations of some of the previous palaeoenvironmental studies, which are characterised by the use of low-resolution records, chronological uncertainties and low geographic variability. A multi-proxy approach is adopted therefore to reconstruct the environmental history of Hashilan wetland (Eastern Zagros) and Lake Ganau (Western Zagros). Two high-resolution palaeoenvironmental records were produced using sedimentological, pollen, non-pollen palynomorph, microcharcoal, macrocharcoal, and geochemical analyses (ITRAX), which enabled the reconstruction of the vegetation, climate, and fire history. This study has produced meaningful data on the exploration of a range of themes, including to the long-standing debate on the ‘Early Holocene Precipitation Paradox’, the ‘Broad Spectrum Revolution’ and the ‘delayed Quercus woodland expansion’. The results provide additional evidence for complexity in terms of the regional variability of climate change during the Pleistocene and Holocene and highlight differences in environmental and climatic conditions between the eastern and western Zagros. This research has, consequently, not only improved our understanding regarding aspects of climate change, vegetation succession, and human-environmental interactions in the Zagros region, but has also provided the first high-resolution pollen record for the western Zagros region for the Late Pleniglacial and Lateglacial interval. Furthermore, it helps to place climatic and vegetational changes as well as human responses in the Zagros region within the wider region and context, while appreciating local differences across Southwest Asia.