VELDWERK IN DE VLAKTE VAN ANTIOCHIË

Samenvatting

The genesis of the former Amuq lake (Hatay, southern Turkey) is not fully known. A theory is that felling of forest since the Neolithic or Bronze Age led to aggradation of sediment along the banks af the Orontes, which gradually restricted drainage. There was also a general increase in the level af floods and together these two factors led to the development of the lake. The low, but large site Tell al-Hijar is si­tuated within the main body af the former lake. The site had been occupied since the Bronze Age, the final occupation being of Early lslamic date. The latter suggests that the lake did not attain its maximum extent until after the 8th/19th centuries AD. 14C datings and detailed knowledge of the vegetation history might help to answer the question when and how the lake evolved. There­fore corings for palynological research have been carried out in the former lake and in some lakes (Aygzir Gölü, Gölbaşi Gölü) near the Tur­kish-Syrian border.