Archaeology & History in Lebanon Issue Nineteen : Spring 2004, p. 86-91.

Nick Marriner NOTE ON THE VEGETATION LANDSCAPES Jacques-Louis de Beaulieu Christophe Morhange OF SIDON AND TYRE DURING ANTIQUITY

Compared to other areas of these problems (Goiran and Morhange, 2003; Eurasia, land-based vegetation Weinstein-Evron and Chaim, 1989): 86- history from the eastern 1 they serve as excellent anoxic sediment traps, Mediterranean is relatively harbourworks and installations creating low ener­ poor. Dry climate and the frequency of limestone gy depositional environments; bedrock are not favourable to bog development 2 the quasi-continuous nature of sedimentation and hence the preservation of pollen grains in the allows a high resolution reading of the deposits sedimentary record. This relative absence of ano­ I 1 a Lebanese tectonic setti 3~°& nd localisa ion of xic basins is a clear limiting factor in many areas Sidon and Tyre. of the Levant and the Near East, and there have been very few serious land-based studies of Holocene vegetation change and anthropogenic impacts (Bottema and Woldring, 1990; Bottema, MEDITERRANEAN SEA 199 J; Yasuda et al., 2000). The best regional syn­ theses for the vegetation history of the eastern Mediterranean over the late glacial to Holocene, are provided by Rossignol ( 1995, 1999) and 34 00 Mudie et al. (2002), with data deriving from marine cores. On a longer timescale, deep lake sequences from Greece have yielded some of the most comprehensive pollen records in the world, archiving data for a series of Quaternary glacial­ interglacial cycles (Tzedakis and Bennett, 1995).

33-30 The importance of palynology as a tool in Mediterranean geoarchaeology has long been re­ cognized. Traditionally two sorts of sites have been exploited: Firstly, to obtain a regional picture of Holocene 0 10 20km human impacts, the use of lakes and lagoons on coastal plains (Hassan, 1986; Yasuda et al., 2000; 36-00 Riera-Mora and Esteban-Amat, 1994) has been most favourable. through time; Secondly, the use of archaeological sites and caves Thirdly, the fine-grained nature of the harbour se­ is more fervently debated (Vernet, 1997; diments is favourable to the preservation of bios­ Weinstein-Evron and Chaim, 1989). Pollen grains tratigraphical tracers, including pollen, diatoms, brought to the site by humans and animals will ostracods,joraminifera and marine macrofauna. essentially reflect the local vegetation, and preser­ vation of grains at such sites is variable. In this short note, we present early pollen results Anthropogenically m9dified substrates and local from current ongoing geoarchaeological investiga­ perturbation are often not conducive to providing tions in Sidon and Tyre, in the Levant (Morhange good records. ~ et al. , 2003; Marriner et al., in press). A number of Ancient harbmir sediments overcome many of samples from fine-grained ancient harbour units of its vegetation and climate are available in Chouchani ( 1972) and Abi-Saleh ( 1978). The Emberger classification (1954) qualifies the cli­ mate of the coastal zones of southern Lebanon as sub-humid Medite1Tanean, with warm winters. At El Qasmiye (between Sidon and Tyre) average annual precipitation is 660mm and average an­ nual temperature 20°C. According to the Bagnouls and Gaussen ( 1957) classification, this region experiences six months of drought, from May to mid-October. These parameters are per­ fectly compatible with the development of Mediterranean forests, but much of the coastal zone between Sidon and Tyre has been trans­ formed into farmland. Beside littoral associations in which Tamarix, growing on sand dunes is the only characteristic tree, the scattered residues of natural vegetation belts are, from the lowlands to the mountains: CORDON D'EOLIANITES A. The Ceralonia siliqua-Pistacia lentiscus series on the costal plain, this series includes sub-asso­ . ciations with Pinus halepensis and Pinus brutia, . and an association with Pinus pinea on sand­ ' stones; c··t o 1 CAROTTAGE B. The Quercus calliprinos series (lower tempe­ \. ratures and higher precipitation) on the lowlands ...... '""······. SITE CHALCOLITHIOUE ( ') DE OAl

South Lebanon lies in a transition zone between Both the diagrams for Sidon and Tyre show on ly steppe conditio-!1s to the east, and temperate mixed moderate variations in the percentages of arboreal forest/Eu-Medi.tcITanean forest to the north-west pollen (AP) and non-arboreal pollen (NAP). (Roberts and Wright, 1993). Detailed descriptions Moreover, among the dominant arboreal species at both sites, Olea and Vitis rounding the ancient harbour. If these two taxa are I . NOTE ON THE correspond to culti vated excluded, low levels of AP suggest a garngue- VEGETATION plants. According to experi­ steppe vegetation dominated during the time pe­ - --- LANDSCAPES OF SIDON AND TYRE ments on the modern dispersal riod under consideration. Nevertheless pine pollen of Olea pollen (Beaulieu, are more abundant at Sidon. This is in a good 1977), percentages of Olea agreement with the di stribution maps of the pre­ exceeding 10% correspond to sent day pine forests (Abi-Saleh, 1978) which its cultivation in the area sur- show that the three local pines (P Halepensis, P

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TELL RACHIDIE T = core number 1c Localisation f sedi cores in Tyre. 0 Pinea and P Brutia) do not may reflect the occurrences of woodstands not grow to the south of Sidon. very far from the harbours. Given this, it is still Their contribution to the too early to attempt a detailed reconstruction of pollen spectra corresponds to the regional landscape. Large areas occupied by transportation from wood­ degraded "garrigues" and steppes are supported stands some kilometres away. by the high amount, in both cores, of Sanguisorba _Q g The very few Cedrus pollen minor type which locally corresponds to the bushy 0 grains are concomitant with Sarcopoterium spinosum, a characteristic of this long distant transpo1t from the open landscape. This pollen is also abundant in mountainous areas, the closest population being surface samples along the Carmel coast (Galili

2 Sidon pollen diagram for core BH I.

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about 25 km to the north-east of Sidon. Among the and Weinstein-Evron, 1985). Degradation of the oak pollen, the Quercus robur type con-esponds to natural vegetation is also indicated by Cerealia­ Quercus infecton-ia. The Quercus suber type (two type pollen, Centaureajacea, Artemisia and rela­ grains in Tyre) corresponds to Quercus cerris, tively high levels of Brassicaceae, and which is very distant from the harbour and the Mercurialis. Rare pollen grains such as Cucumis Quercus ilex type to the evergreen. Quercus cal­ melo and Croton tinctoria are also indicative of liprinos, the latter being more abundant in pro­ diverse cultivations. The presence of Plantago­ ximity to Tyre. The other trees, mostly Ceratonia lanceolata pollen could be consistent with live­ and Pistacia, belong _to the wam1est ecosystems stock farming (Yasuda et al., 2000). The land­ which grow close to the coast. The Ceratonia scape would have been typically garrigue in pollen is a larg~ grain which is poorly dispersed nature. by the wind, meaning that even low percentages The NAP herbaceous layer is appeared due to natural sedim ent filling and land NOTE ON THE diverse in its composition, drainage for agricultural ends. VEGETATION with aquatic (Nasturtium, LANDSCAPES OF SIDON AND TYRE Cardamine) and littoral taxa CONCLUSION (A lyssum, Cakile). Generally speaking, the herbaceous The pollen data suggests that the vegetation of plants can be separated into coastal areas in proximity to Sidon and Tyre were three groups: already heavily modified in antiquity. 1. Plants linked to anthro- Unfortunately, the time period covered by our pogenic activities ( Cerealia-type and nitrophilc data does not enable us to constrain the begin­ taxa: Sanguisorba, Mercuriahs, Brassicaceae). nings of this anthropogenic modification. Broadly speaking the vegetation in antiquity would have 2. Steppic taxa corroborating open vegetation been Mediterranean scrubland with isolated tree conditions (Poaceae, Xanthium, Artemisia, patches of pine and oak. In Tyre, evidence also Herniaria, Cistus, Helianthemum, Asphodelus). exists for areas of marshland between Tyre and Rachidieh. 3. Taxa adapted to humid conditions (Jsoetes, Typha, Polygonum, Pep/is). These indicate marshy conditions in proximity to the ancient har- 3 Tyre pollen diagram for core T I.

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bours of Sidon and Tyre. In Tyre, organo-lacus­ trine sediments cored between Tyre and Rachidieh attest to the existence of ancient marshlands in this area, during the mid to late Holocene (Marriner and Morhange, 2002). Today this area continues to support a humid vegetation type, although the marshlands (sensu stricto) have dis- References C. Morhange, K. Espic, C. Doumet-Serhal, M. Bourcier,. & P. Carbone!, 2003b. "The ancient har­ B. Abi-Saleh, 1978, Etude phytosociologique, phyto­ bours of Sidon, attempt at a synthesis (1998-2002). dynamique et ecologique des peuplements sylva­ The ancient harbours of Sidon, attempt at a synthesis tiques du Liban; Thesis, Aix-Marseille Ill, 186 p., 14 fig. (1998-2002)". Archaeology and History in Lebanon, and 22 Tab. ht. Autumn 2003, p. 71-81 .

F. Bagnouls & H. Gaussen, 1957, "Les climats P. J . Mudie, A. Rochon & A. E. Aksu, 2002,. "Pollen biologiques et leur classification". Ann. De Geogr, 335, stratigraphy of Late Quaternary cores from Marmara p.193-220. Sea: land-sea correlation and paleoclimatic history." Marine Geology 190, p. 233-260. J.-L. de Beaulieu,.1977, Contribution pollenanaly­ tique a /'histoire tardiglaciaire et holocene de la vege­ S. Riera-Mora, & A. Esteban-Amat, 1994, tation des Alpes meridionales frani;aises. These es "Vegetation history and human activity during the last Sciences, 358 p. , 29 fig ., 39 diag. h.t. 6000 years on the central Catalan coast (northeastern Iberian Peninsula)". Vegetation History and S. Bottema, 1991 , "Pollen proxy data from southeast­ Archaeobotany 3, p. 7-23. ern Europe and the near east". In B. Frenzel, A. Pons, & B. Glaser, Evaluation of climate proxy data in rela­ N. Roberts, & Jr., H. E. Wright, 1993, "Vegetational, tion to the European Holocene, p. 63-79. lake level and climatic history of the Near East and Southwest Asia". In: Jr., H. E Wright,J. E. Kutzbach, T. S. Bottema, & H. Wold ring, 1990, "Anthropogenic Webb, W. F. Ruddi-man, F. A. Street-Perrott, P. indicators in the pollen record of the Eastern Bartlein, (Eds.), Global Climates since the Last Glacial Mediterranena". In Bottema, Entjes-Nieberg & van Maximum. University of Minnesota Press, St. Paul, Zeist (Eds.), Man's Role in the Shaping of the Eastern MN, p.194-220. Mediterranean, p. 23 1-264. M. Rossignol-Strick, 1995, "Sea-land correlations of L. Emberger, 1954, Projet d'une classification biogeo­ pollen records in th e eastern Mediterranean for the graphique des climats du monde. CNRS, Paris. glacial-interglacial transition: biostratigraphy versus radiometric time-scale". Quaternary Science Reviews E. Gali Ii, & M. Weinstein-Evron, 1985, "Prehistory 14, p. 893-915. and Paleoenvironments of submerged sites along the 1999, "The Holocene climatic optimum and Carmel coast of Israel". Paleorient. 11 /1, p. 37-52. pollen records of sapropel 1 in the Eastern Mediterranean, 9000-6000 BP". Quaternary Science B. Chouchani, 1972, Le Liban, contribution son a Reviews 18, p. 515-530. etude climatique et phytogeographique. Master Thesis, Toulouse Ill , 141p. P. C. Tzedakis, & K. D. Bennett, 1995, "Interglacial vegetation succession: a view from southern Europe". J.-P. Goiran, .& C. Morhange, 2003, "Geoarcheologie Quaternary Science Reviews 14, p. 967-982. des ports antiques de Mediterranee". Topoi 11 , p. 645- 667. J.-L. Vernet, 1997, L'homme et la foret mediter­ raneenne de la Prehistoire nos )ours. Editions F. A. Hassan, 1986, "Holocene lakes and prehistoric a Errance, Paris. settlements of the western Faiyum, Egypt". Journal of Archaeological Science 13, p. 483-501 . M. Weinstein-Evron, & S. Chaim, 1989, "Palynology and Archaeology: Two Case Studies of Submerged N. Marriner & C. Morhange, 2003, Etude sedimen­ Archaeological sites in Israel", in: E. Spanier, Y. tologique et geomorphologique Tyr. In Morhange C. a Steinberger & M. Lu ria, (Eds.), Environmental Quality (Ed.) Mission de recherches geoarcheologiques Tyr a and and Ecosystem stability: Vol IV-8, Environmental (Liban), 2002, UNESCO World Heritage no. Quality, p. 23-29. 700.893.1 , p.60. Y. Yasuda, H. Kitagawa & T. Nakagawa, 2000, ''The N. Marriner, C. Morhange, I. Rycx, M. Boudagher­ Earliest Record of Major Anthropogenic Deforestation Fadel, M. Bourcier, P. Carbone!, J .-P. Goiran, & G. in the Ghab Valley, Northwest Syria: a Palynological Noujaim-Clark, ·(in press). "Holocene coastal dynam­ study". Quaternary International 73/74, p. 127-1 36. ics along the Tyrian peninsula, south Lebanon; The palaeo-geographical evolution of the northern harbour" in . Baal.