ABSTRACT
Climatic changes that occurred during the Quaternary period affected the distribution of plant communities, soil forming processes, karstification, human settlements, etc. During the last glacial period, the higher parts of the Anatolian Mountains were covered by glaciers. Euro-Siberian plants most probably migrated from the northern parts of Anatolia to the Mediterranean region. The level of the Anatolian lakes was higher than at present. Karstification was induced with red soil formation, and some Mediterranean plants shifted to the northern parts of Anatolia, especially to the coastal belt of the Black Sea region during the interglacial. In addition to these phenomena, towards the end of the last glacial 12,000 to 10,000 yr BP, Paleolithic man lived in the rocky shelters and/or karstic caves in the Mediterranean region and the hilly part of southeastern Anatolia. In the early Holocene, agricultural settlements were established on the exposed shoreline belt of receding paleolakes and along the streams in Anatolia during the period 10,000 to 7000 yr BP. In these areas, wild cereals were cultivated and wild animals also were domesticated.
