Landscape exploitation in a drying environment. The cuvettre of Palmyra in Prehistory ( from late Pleistocene to early Holocene)

LANDSCAPE EXPLOITATION IN A DRYING ENVIRONMENT.THE CUVETTE OF PALMYRA IN PREHISTORY ( FROM LATE PLEISTOCENE TO EARLY HOLOCENE). Mauro Cremaschi, Andrea Zerboni, Alesandro Perego Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Via Mangiagalli 34 20133- Milano mauro.cremaschi@unimi.it Evidence of late Pleistocene to early Holocene occupation of the region surrounding the oasis of Palmyra/Tadmor (central Syria) consists of geometric Kebaran, Natufian and early Neolithic archaeological sites. These are distributed along the margin of the Sabkhat al Mouh and in the Abu Fawares area, in connection with lacustrine deposits, suggesting a period with a humid climate during which several freshwater lakes existed in the area. Wet environmental conditions presumably turned toward aridity in correspondence with the early Neolithic, and later archaeological sites were concentrated in the area of the present-day oasis and marginally within the Abu Fawares basin. A comparison of the local trend towards aridity is done with the western deserts ( Oman, Central Sahara) in which dessication took place later in the Holocene, following different patterns.