ABSTRACT
Nature has been generous with Turkey, endowing it with gifts of land, minerals, plants, and animals. In studying the human occupation of this formidable mountainous terrain, constantly to be aware of its intricate and broken nature that separates into seven broad geographical regions. The plate movements and faulting proves useful in appreciating some of the background elements of the Anatolian landscape. For ancient Turkey cultural patterns are better understood if they are seen as mutually interacting with physical features and related bioclimatic elements. In outlining the modern vegetational zones of Turkey, or indeed of the Near East, it is the potential natural plant cover that is reconstructed by palynologists and ecologists rather than the actual present day cover. Given that plants in the eastern Mediterranean area are closely tied to a cycle of winter rain and summer drought, the patterns of ancient vegetation can be reconstructed from palynological evidence, which is sometimes integrated with lake-level readings for more accurate determinations.
