@article{dedd444672aa4b66ad6579f8f42992cf,
title = "Middle Pleistocene environments, landscapes and tephrostratigraphy of the Armenian Highlands: evidence from Bird Farm 1, Hrazdan Valley",
abstract = "The significance of the southern Caucasus in understanding Pleistocene hominin expansions is well established. However, the palaeoenvironments in which Palaeolithic occupation of the region took place are presently poorly defined. The Hrazdan river valley, Armenian Highlands, contains a rich Palaeolithic record alongside Middle Pleistocene volcanic, fluvial and lacustrine strata, and thus offer exciting potential for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. We present the first results of sedimentological, geochemical, tephrostratigraphical and biological (diatoms) study of the sequence of Bird Farm 1, located in the central part of the valley. These data show six phases of landscape development during the interval 440–200 ka. The sequence represents the first quantitative Pleistocene diatom record from the Armenian Highlands and the southern Caucasus, and indicates the persistence of a deep, stratified lacustrine system, with evidence for changing lake productivity that is tentatively linked to climate. Furthermore, major element chemical characterization of visible and crypto-tephra horizons in the sequence enables the first stages of the development of a regional tephrostratigraphy. Together, the evidence from Bird Farm 1 demonstrates the importance of lacustrine archives in the region for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and highlights the potential for linkages between archives on both a local and regional scale.",
keywords = "Armenian Highlands, diatom analysis, palaeoenvironments, sedimentology, tephrostratigraphy",
author = "Sherriff, {Jenni E.} and Wilkinson, {Keith N.} and Poppy Harding and Hayley Hawkins and Timms, {Rhys G.O.} and Adler, {Daniel S.} and Beverly, {Emily J.} and Blockley, {Simon P.E.} and Boris Gasparyan and Manning, {Christina J.} and Darren Mark and Samvel Nahapetyan and Preece, {Katie J.}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank Dr Khachatur Meliksetian (Director of the Institute of Geological Sciences, RA Academy of Sciences) and Dr Dmitri Arakelyan (Institute of Geological Sciences, RA Academy of Sciences), Dr Pavel Avetisyan (Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, RA Academy of Sciences) and Karen Bayramyan (Head of the Protection of Monuments of History and Culture Agency for the Ministry of Culture, Republic of Armenia) for their insights on the archaeology and geology of central Armenia and for logistical help. We are also very grateful to Suren Kesejian for his invaluable assistance in the field and elsewhere, and the Partevian family for hosting us during fieldwork. Dr Monika Knul (University of Winchester), Jayson Gill (University of Connecticut), Alexander Brittingham (University of Connecticut), Yannick Raczynsky-Henk and Dr Phil Glauberman are also thanked for their help in the field. Finally we thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on an earlier version of the paper. The analyses and a significant part of the fieldwork reported here was funded by the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2016-102), while the University of Connecticut's Norian Armenian Programs Committee and the Gfoeller Renaissance Foundation, USA, also provided financial assistance. Funding Information: We thank Dr Khachatur Meliksetian (Director of the Institute of Geological Sciences, RA Academy of Sciences) and Dr Dmitri Arakelyan (Institute of Geological Sciences, RA Academy of Sciences), Dr Pavel Avetisyan (Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, RA Academy of Sciences) and Karen Bayramyan (Head of the Protection of Monuments of History and Culture Agency for the Ministry of Culture, Republic of Armenia) for their insights on the archaeology and geology of central Armenia and for logistical help. We are also very grateful to Suren Kesejian for his invaluable assistance in the field and elsewhere, and the Partevian family for hosting us during fieldwork. Dr Monika Knul (University of Winchester), Jayson Gill (University of Connecticut), Alexander Brittingham (University of Connecticut), Yannick Raczynsky‐Henk and Dr Phil Glauberman are also thanked for their help in the field. Finally we thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on an earlier version of the paper. The analyses and a significant part of the fieldwork reported here was funded by the Leverhulme Trust (RPG‐2016‐102), while the University of Connecticut's Norian Armenian Programs Committee and the Gfoeller Renaissance Foundation, USA, also provided financial assistance. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.",
year = "2022",
month = jan,
doi = "10.1002/jqs.3370",
language = "English",
volume = "37",
pages = "6--27",
journal = "JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE",
issn = "0267-8179",
publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Ltd",
number = "1",
}