Th e most fertile parts of Anatolia are the Mediterra-
nean coastal plain and the area south of the Sea of Marma-
ra. Th ese regions and the area on the Aegean coast all have
a Mediterranean climate, with long, hot, dry summers and
cool, wet winters. Crops from these areas included grapes,
olives, citrus fruits, fi gs, and wheat. Central Anatolia has a
much harsher climate, with very cold winters and more rain
and snow than coastal regions. In ancient times much of
Anatolia was covered with forests. Cyprus was also heavily
forested, and ancients used its forests for timber. Natural
rock structures within the Anatolian plateau lent them-
selves to interesting housing arrangements; many people in
Cappadocia lived in caves that had formed naturally in the
rocks. People who lived in central Anatolia typically made
their living by trading in some local substance. For example,
the settlement of Çatalhüyük (fi rst colonized about 7500
b.c.e.) was built near a large deposit of obsidian, a volcanic
rock used to make tools in the ancient world; its economy
was entirely based on the obsidian trade, which residents
sold to Syrian and Mediterranean traders. Despite the exis-
tence of trade routes, people living in the Anatolian plateau
tended to be isolated from one another and from the larger
Mediterranean civilization.
Human settlement surrounded the Black Sea and extend-
ed into the region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
Th is region was the home of the ancient kingdoms of Pontus,
Colchis, and Armenia; Colchis was considered the legendary
source of the Golden Fleece and the destination of Jason and
the Argonauts (a mythical story involving heroes searching
for treasure, plus love, betrayal, and murder). Colchis was
situated on a plain east of the Black Sea, but aside from that
fl at area, the region is rugged and mountainous. Th e Cauca-
sus Mountains have a cold climate. Th e mountains, the dense
forests, and the harsh weather combined to make the region
northwest of Anatolia inaccessible to most travelers. As a re-
sult, the people who lived there tended to be isolated from one
another and from the larger ancient world.
THE BLACK SEA DELUGE THEORY
Th e body of water that is now known as the Black Sea has
not always been a body of saltwater. Aft er the last ice age it
was the Euxine Lake, a vast freshwater lake that may have
had no physical connection to the Sea of Marmara. Its surface
was about 450 feet below the level of the Mediterranean Sea.
Th e lake’s shores were fertile and full of wild game, and the
climate was mild. Humans settled on the shores of the lake,
farming, hunting, and raising animals.
Around 6200 b.c.e. the giant Laurentide ice sheet in
Canada began to melt; as it melted, it fed icebergs into the
Atlantic Ocean. Th is event caused the planet’s overall tem-
perature to drop, resulting in a mini ice age that lasted about
400 years. Anatolia and the Levant became much drier;
farmers could no longer count on being able to grow their
crops. Numerous inland settlements were abandoned as
people moved closer to Euxine Lake. When the warm, wet
weather returned around 5800 b.c.e., the population on the
lake’s shores increased.
Around 5600 b.c.e. the lake changed. According to a
modern theory, a massive fl ood turned the Euxine Lake into
the Black Sea in about two years’ time. Rising sea levels in
the Atlantic raised sea levels in the Mediterranean, which fed
into the Sea of Marmara. Th e land separating the Sea of Mar-
mara from the much lower Eu xine Lake was thin and narrow.
One day the water started lapping over the edge. Th is trickle
of water eroded away some earth, allowing more water to fl ow
downhill. Within days saltwater was rushing from the Sea of
Marmara into the Euxine Lake. Th e water level of the Euxine
rose six inches per day. Within two years the Euxine Lake’s
surface was at the same level as that of the Mediterranean,
and the water was no longer fresh but was instead brackish.
Th e villages that had lined the shores of the lake were com-
pletely inundated.
Th is theory, sometimes called the Black Sea deluge the-
ory, is now the topic of much debate. Many people believe
that this event, if it happened, could have been the historical
inspiration for the story of the Biblical fl ood and Noah’s ark.
What appear to be ancient buildings and freshwater snails
have been discovered about 300 feet below the surface on Tur-
key’s Black Sea coast. Th ese items date to about 5000 b.c.e.,
providing evidence to support the theory. Some geologists,
however, insist that water fl owed between the Black Sea and
the Sea of Marmara for thousands of years before the deluge
supposedly happened.ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
BY AMY HACKNEY BLACKWELL
Asia and the Pacifi c region encompass an enormous area,
from the Arctic to the Antarctic and from the Ural Moun-
tains to the eastern Pacifi c Ocean. Th is area includes all
imaginable variations of climate and geography, from the
highest mountains on earth to some of the fl attest fl ood-
plains, from extremely wet environments to places with no
rainfall at all. Th e Asian continent has several large river sys-
tems, many of them originating in the Himalayas. Th e whole
area is aff ected by monsoon patterns in the Indian Ocean and
cyclones that form in the Pacifi c.
Th e Asian landmass includes a large coastline on the
Indian and Pacifi c oceans surrounding a huge central land-
locked area. Th e coastal areas, including India, China, and
Southeast Asia, all fostered early civilizations that developed
around rivers; the Yangtze, the Yellow, and the Indus River
va l leys were home to some of t he ea rliest ag ricu ltura l civ i liza-
tions in Asia. Th ese regions had good climates and ample wa-
ter, which allowed their residents to build towns, grow large
populations, and create culture and technology, including
writing. Coastlines facilitated travel and exchange of goods
and culture. Th e east-west axis of the continent made it easy
for people to transport agricultural products and techniques
from one place to another.climate and geography: Asia and the Pacific 247