ACIGOL

In SW Turkey, the oldest Homo erectus remains were dated to ca 1.6 - 1.2 Ma Lebatard et al., 2014; Vialet et al., 2012), documenting the migratory axis of Hominins populations from Africa to Europe. In the same area, we have access to exceptional lacustrine archives at Acigöl and Çatal Hüyük, over 1500 m of sedimentary infilling with the base dated to 2.4 Ma (Acigöl) and > 3 Ma (Çatal Hüyük), and to palaeontological sites rich in megafauna. Never, on the continent, have ancient archives been preserved in such a context that they now allow us to study the biological, geological and palaeoanthropological components in order to reconstruct in a systemic and interdisciplinary approach: 1) the interrelations and feedback between the different actors responsible for the functioning of the environments in a dynamic geological context (tectonics, volcanism); 2) the major Quaternary climatic cycles to be replaced into regional and global climate records and models; and 3) the evolving ecosystems (vegetation, fauna, Hominins), as well as the climate of this key region of the Eastern Mediterranean. The identification of the pollen grain of cereals (including rye) and nowadays cultivated trees (olive, walnut, plane, chestnut, arborescent Rosaceae) in the serie of Acigöl, will enable us to examine in detail the age and the modalities of the premises of domestication in this important area of Eastern Mediterranean frequented by human populations and large mammal herds. In particular: which micro-evolutive processes and forcing in this region of the Middle East are at the origin of the hereditary physiological transformation of these plants? It is a provocative question that is currently unanswered. Our results will therefore be highly significant for the understanding of the hominization of Europe and the genesis of the Neolithic Revolution. We will extend our research to the Middle East (Iran), Central Asia and Western Mediterranean sites (France, Italy, Spain, Greece) that populations of Hominins and large mammal herds frequented during their “Out of Africa” migration from ~2 Ma (Fig.1). The question is to understand if the association between palaeocereals, big mammals and Hominins that were evidenced at Acigöl existed elsewhere; knowing that humans certainly did not migrate alone but followed the ecosystem which suited them. With our consortium (ACIGOL), we will use concepts and techniques from life sciences (biology, genetics), earth sciences (geology, geophysics, isotopic geochemistry) and humanities sciences (palaeontology, archaeology, and ethnology) to carry out our project. The scientific program is organized around three key tasks: 1) Physical changes of the landscape and chronology; 2) Ecosystems changes and relationships with human populations; 3) Integrated understanding of the environment, ecosystems, human societies and climate interrelations The results will be published in specialized journals, as well as in journals of general interest, with a high impact factor and widely disseminated internationally. This research project is both unique and ambitious; the findings will be highly significant in terms of providing new understanding of the complex dynamics between past climates, environments, megaherbivores and human societies, as well as providing valuable data relevant to future climate change scenarios. The realization of this project will only be possible with the establishment of a strong consortium and the substantial financial support provided by ERC SYNERGY calls.