Papers by Abdolmajid Naderi Beni
فصلنامه سرزمین های پارس, 2024
Zeribar Lake, located in the west-central Zagros mountains, serves as a key record for understand... more Zeribar Lake, located in the west-central Zagros mountains, serves as a key record for understanding the environmental and climate history of West Asia. Studies beginning in the 1960s have examined the lake's sediments to explore how changes in the environment might have influenced major human developments, including the start of the Neolithic period and the formation of early societies. Early research, limited by less precise radiocarbon dating methods, suggested that environmental factors had little impact on the development of cultures. However, with improved dating techniques, a clear link has been established between environmental events and significant stages in human evolution. Analysis of pollen from Zeribar Lake has provided a detailed picture of the region's ecological past. The data shows a significant change from the sparse, cold conditions of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene to the rich oak forests that appeared in the mid-Holocene. This change, previously thought to be caused by more rain, is now understood to be the result of a considerable decrease in temperature, with glaciers once widespread in the area. Updated radiocarbon dating and new interpretations of pollen data suggest that agriculture began earlier than previously thought, around 14,000 years ago, indicating that shifts in the pollen record may reflect the beginnings of farming rather than changes in the climate. These climate changes, initially thought to be minor until 8,000 years ago and believed to involve only slight temperature variations, are now viewed from a different perspective. Despite these revelations, the debate continues among scholars regarding the extent of climate's role in shaping human progress. This article aims to weave together the multifaceted strands of Zeribar Lake's story, bridging paleoecology and archaeology to shed light on the complex dance between humanity and its environment in the Zagros region. It is an endeavor to bolster the bedrock of knowledge for future scholarly pursuits.
Climate of The Past, Jul 29, 2013
Historical literature may constitute a valuable source of information to reconstruct sea-level ch... more Historical literature may constitute a valuable source of information to reconstruct sea-level changes. Here, historical documents and geological records have been combined to reconstruct Caspian sea-level (CSL) changes during the last millennium. In addition to a comprehensive literature review, new data from two short sediment cores were obtained from the southeastern Caspian coast to identify coastal change driven by water-level changes and to compare the results with other geological and historical findings. The overall results indicate a high-stand during the Little Ice Age, up to −21 m (and extra rises due to manmade river avulsion), with a −28 m low-stand during the Medieval Climate Anomaly, while presently the CSL stands at −26.5 m. A comparison of the CSL curve with other lake systems and proxy records suggests that the main sea-level oscillations are essentially paced by solar irradiance. Although the major controller of the long-term CSL changes is driven by climatological factors, the seismicity of the basin creates local changes in base level. These local base-level changes should be considered in any CSL reconstruction.
Interdisciplinary approaches to the study of resilience in the high mountains of the Southern Zagros: potential, challenges and limitations
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Dec 5, 2020
International audienc
How Early Holocene Greening of the Afro-Asian Dust Belt Changed Sources of Mineral Dust in West Asia
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, Dec 1, 2016
Hydroclimatic changes in Iran, during the Lateglacial/Holocene transition, based on chironomid analysis: Comparison of records from Lake Neor (NW Iran) and Lake Arjan (SW Iran)
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), May 4, 2017
International audienc
Late Little Ice Age highstand in the Caspian Sea and its impacts on the morphology of Sefidrud Delta in central Gilan
Quaternary Science Reviews, Aug 1, 2018
The Jiroft valley, situated on banks of the Halil Rud developed as an important agricultural and ... more The Jiroft valley, situated on banks of the Halil Rud developed as an important agricultural and trading center during the Early Bronze Age. Known for its famous steatite sculptures and clay pottery, the first settlement in Konar Sandal collapsed around 3rd millennium BCE. A second shorter, but major phase of occupation in the settlement occurred towards the end of 2nd millennium BCE. A 250-cm long peat sequence near the archaeological complex at Konar Sandal was investigated to reconstruct the humanenvironment history using palynological, sedimentological and geochemical data. With a basal age of 4 ka, the core traces the hydroclimatic changes and human activities that started just after large scale abandonment of Konar Sandal and extends from the late Bronze Age to the Mongol invasion. The results show that Jiroft had an arid dry climate dominated by the Saharo-Sindian open pseudo-savanna vegetation. However, due to human clearance and intensified agro-sylvo-pastoral activities, and climatic factors, the land-cover shifted from open xeric scrublands to a more open degraded landscape. The principal human occupation was cereal cultivation and herding. However, it is likely that during the more arid periods, communities retreated and abandoned agriculture, facilitating successional processes. Such droughts occurred around 4.0e3.8 ka and 3.4e2.8 ka and are related to the Siberian Anticyclonic system. Declining Artemisia and shrubs indicate milder climates ca. 3.8e3.4 ka and 2.8e0.6 ka. The latter period that started with the rule of the Persian empires (550e650 BCE), and continued through the Islamic era, coincides with intensive human activities, and the highest degradation of vegetation.
Journal of Oceanography, Apr 15, 2010
The Gorgan Bay is an elongated bay in the southeastern flank of the Caspian Sea in the Iranian te... more The Gorgan Bay is an elongated bay in the southeastern flank of the Caspian Sea in the Iranian territory which is separated from the Caspian Sea by Miankaleh spit. Sedimentological studies on 35 collected sediment samples from the Gorgan Bay and adjacent areas of the Caspian Sea reveals that the grain size of the bottom sediments are mostly in the range of mud to sand where the sand content increases eastward especially in the vicinity of the waterway between the bay and the sea. Mean content of carbonate and organic matter in the sediments are %35 and %30 respectively which the carbonate content increases towards the bay's inlet and the organic matter shows a decreasing trend. Mineralogically the Gorgan Bay sediments are mainly consists of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary lithic fragments and some authogenic sediments that accompanied with some clay minerals mainly chlorite. The XRF results show that the observed differences in concentration of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, V, Ba, Zr) largly depends on the sediment type. Comparing the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) of the surficial samples with the one from the depth of 25 cm below the bottom reveals that the Gorgan Bay sediments are not polluted in respect to the heavy metals. In comparison with adjacent areas, Gorgan Bay sediments show a transition between evaporate carbonate dominated sediments of Turkmenistan coast in north and other terrigenous sediments of the Iranian coast in west.
Water Stress and Imperial Politics in the Southern Zagros Mountains
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Mar 1, 2023
3. Palaeoecological Insights into Agri-Horti-Cultural and Pastoral Practices Before, During and After the Sasanian Empire
Edinburgh University Press eBooks, Jun 27, 2017
New multi-proxy record shows potential impacts of precipitation on the rise and ebb of Bronze Age and imperial Persian societies in southeastern Iran
Quaternary Science Reviews
The Achaemenids and Sasanian 'Persian' Empires were significant political, econom... more The Achaemenids and Sasanian 'Persian' Empires were significant political, economic, and social forces in the Late Bronze Age and Late Antiquity Eurasia, respectively, which have left marks on the heritage of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern world. While attention is often focused on military and political conditions when discussing the prosperity and decline of these imperial powers, their realms, which crossed a variety of environmental settings, were highly dependent on the predictability of rainfall that drove agriculture and effective provisioning. Here, we present a multi-proxy sedimentological, geochemical, and palynological record from a 2.5-m long peat deposit near the excavation site in Konar Sandal near Jiroft in southeastern Iran, covering 4000-850 cal yr BP. Around 3950 cal yr BP a wet period prevailed based on elemental ratios, stable C isotope, pollen, and diagnostic lipids. Between 3900 and 3300 cal yr BP, wet/semi-wet conditions developed with the appearance of Cerealia-type pollen. Dry and windy conditions followed (ca. 3300-2900 cal yr BP), which coincided with the Siberian anticyclones and climatic shifts developing in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Consequently, the Bronze Age settlements around Jiroft, dependent on agriculture, underwent a steady decline. A prolonged wet period followed (ca. 2900-2300 cal yr BP) with the abundance of Sparganium-type pollen and the aquatic lipid proxy (Paq). This change coincided with intensive agricultural practices and the flourishing of the powerful Median and Achaemenid empires. The shift to high Ti/Al ratios coeval with the lowest δ13COM values suggests an increase in aeolian activity and dry conditions ca. 2100-1650 cal yr BP. The Jiroft valley again experienced wet conditions between 1550 and 1300 cal yr BP, which overlapped with the economic prosperity of the middle to late Sasanian empire. The paleoenvironmental reconstruction indicates that wet periods and intensive agriculture coincide with the Persian empires' zenith, political influence, and economic affluence. Therefore, contextualized and detailed paleoenvironmental records are desirable to explore the interplay of political and climatic factors in the development and fragmentation of the ancient settlements and imperial powers in Eurasian history.
Palaeoecological Insights into Agri-Horti-Cultural and Pastoral Practices Before, During and After the Sasanian Empire
Sasanian Persia
Pollen data obtained from radiocarbon-dated sediments of several peat bogs and lakes located in d... more Pollen data obtained from radiocarbon-dated sediments of several peat bogs and lakes located in different parts of Iran and surrounding areas have recently provided invaluable new information on agricultural practices during the Persian empires, from the Achaemenids to the Sasanians. A review of the published and unpublished data has revealed distinct phases of intensified tree cultivation and pastoral activities during this era.
Facing water shortages in ancient Iran: new evidence from sedimentary records of the Southern Zagros and historical insights
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Apr 6, 2021
International audienc
Hydro-climatic variability in western Iran since the Lateglacial: subfossil chironomids, a new promising proxy for palaeohydrological reconstructions in the Middle-East
International audienc
Caspian Sea levels over the last 2200 years, with new data from the S-E corner
Geomorphology, 2022
Geoarchaeology, 2021
The impacts of relative sea‐level (RSL) variations and crust mobility on the development of ancie... more The impacts of relative sea‐level (RSL) variations and crust mobility on the development of ancient harbours in the northern Persian Gulf are poorly understood. Many unanswered questions remain with regard to the main reasons for a shift in the location of the most important ancient harbours in the northern part of the Persian Gulf coastal since 50 BC. Furthermore, some important early Islamic harbours, such as Siraf, have ancient city quarters that are today below the present sea level. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between halokinesis and RSL changes using geophysical models and multidisciplinary geoarchaeological methods at the ancient Sassanid–Islamic site of Bataneh (presently known as Najirum) located at the foothill of an active Darang salt diapir. The results reveal that after the mid‐Holocene highstand, RSL regression was not continuous. The studied facies have recorded three RSL oscillations. The oscillations are correlated with the eustatic sea‐lev...
Holocene palaeoclimate variability in south-western Asia highlighted by the Lake Maharlou sediments (Iran) and potential implications for human adaptive strategies
International audienc
Assessing the centennial-scale hydrological variability of Lake Maharlou (SW Iran) over the last 3500 years using sedimentological and geochemical analysis
International audienc
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021
HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific re... more HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives| 4.0 International License
Applied Geography, 2018
Successful heritage management requires a robust comprehension of the threats facing archaeologic... more Successful heritage management requires a robust comprehension of the threats facing archaeological sites, at both current and future timescales. Siraf, on the Persian Gulf of Iran, is a site of national and international importance whose history stretches back to the Sassanid period (224-652 AD). In the present context of global change (drought and relative sea-level rise) and anthropogenic impacts (coastal artificialization and reduced sediment supply), the city's waterfront archaeology is undergoing significant erosion. Nonetheless, at present, the processes leading to the loss of Siraf's in situ archaeological remains are still poorly understood, including the rates, timing and drivers of coastal erosion. Here we use Landsat images to monitor shoreline changes along the Siraf coastline between 1973 and 2016. We spatially quantify the causes and impacts of surface changes along 244 transects. The results demonstrate that coastal erosion is responsible for widespread and archaeologically significant damage, with 48% of the studied transects showing erosion during the period 1973-2016. We elucidate significant temporal variations in the data and, most notably, demonstrate that continued drought since the early 2000s has impacted upon sediment supply to coastal areas, severely accentuating erosion. For instance, between 2003 and 2016, 70% of transects recorded shoreline retreat with worrying implications for the waterfront archaeology of Siraf. These quantitative results provide invaluable spatial information regarding the causes and impacts of erosion upon Siraf's waterfront heritage, in addition to furnishing a template for the protection of the city's internationally important cultural heritage.