Sea Surface Temperature Variability and Marine Heat Waves over the Aegean, Ionian, and Cretan Seas from 2008–2021

The sea surface temperature (SST) is an important factor and indicator of the sea water quality, with various ecological and anthropogenic implications. We used high-resolution satellite-derived SST data, in tandem with field observations and long-term meteorological data, to investigate the spatial and interannual SST variability over the Aegean, Ionian, and Cretan (AIC) Seas during the recent 14-year period (2008–2021). Increasing trends were identified for most of the sub-basins of the AIC Seas. The numbers and durations (days) of the marine heat waves (MHWs) have significantly increased, especially during the last quadrennial period (2018–2021). Changes have been detected in both the maximum and minimum values; however, the trend of the mean annual values is mainly associated with the interannual increases in the lowest values (weaker minima during the cold seasons). The interannual variability and the increasing positive trends of the air temperature are very similar to the SST variations, showing a 5-to-10-day lag between the seasonal time series of the two parameters for all regions; however, extreme atmospheric events (e.g., cold fronts or heat waves) have a more direct impact on the SST variability (zero lag). MHWs were more frequent over the northern Aegean Sea, especially in Thermaikos Gulf, which is characterized as a “hot spot” for MHWs. MHWs were rarer over the southern regions, especially over the southeastern Aegean and Cretan Seas. A stratified upper ocean, controlled by buoyant brackish plumes, such as the Black Sea Waters (BSW) in the northern Aegean, may increase the heat storage capacity of the surface water masses, contributing to the further warming of the ocean. This was the case in the summer of 2021, which was a unique year for the AIC Seas, and especially for the northern Aegean, which revealed the highest SST values among all the study years. The satellite-derived observations of the 2008–2021 period showed increasing trends for all coastal waters, strong trend slopes for most of the coasts of the northern Aegean and central Ionian Seas, and milder trend slopes in the eastern Aegean.

Paleomagnetic Results from Western Anatolia: Evidence of Microblock Rotations after Emplacement of the Lower Miocene Yuntdağ Volcanic Rocks

The eastern Aegean region has undergone north dipping subduction in the Oligocene, continental collision and then Miocene-Pliocene extension, which is associated with widespread Miocene volcanism. The aim of this study is to assess the possibility of block rotations due to stress variations in the Dikili (İzmir) province, Western Anatolia, based on paleomagnetic data obtained from 35 independent sites in addition to results from 19 sites in earlier studies. The lower Miocene Yuntdağ volcanic rocks were emplaced in three different structural blocks, the Dikili, Zeytindağ and Bergama blocks. Clockwise rotation is found in the Dikili and Zeytindağ blocks that varies from R (± DR) = 12.5° (± 7.4°) in the west to R (± DR) = 35.6°± (13.2°) in the east, respectively. In contrast, a counterclockwise rotation of R (± DR) =-38.1° (± 6.4°) resulted in the Bergama block, in the north of the Dikili and Zeytindağ blocks. A scissor-like basin evolution is suggested during the opening of the Bakırçay graben which led to counterclockwise rotation of the Bergama block and clockwise rotation of the Dikili and Zeytindağ blocks after lower Miocene to present. The rotation pattern derived from results of this study demonstrates that localized small scale deformation due to basin evolution besides regional affects must be considered as part of the deformation matrix in this area.

A coin hoard from Ayasuluk and the arrival of silver gigliati from Mediterranean Europe in early 14th-century western Anatolia

In 1972 a hoard of eight fine silver coins was discovered in or near the baptistery of the basilica of St John in Ayasuluk. It is now conserved at the Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selçuk. The coins were minted in southern France, southern Italy and on the island of Rhodes, between ca AD 1303 and 1319 or perhaps a little later. Accordingly, a concealment date of ca 1320 or a bit later is proposed. While the currency which they represent (the gigliato) is well known from other finds of the area, the present hoard is relatively early and from a particularly significant location. This currency found great success in commercial contexts in the eastern Aegean and western Anatolia during the period ca 1325 to ca 1370. By contrast, this study reveals two initial phases in the establishment and further dissemination of the gigliato in a concentrated part of western Anatolia, one in 1304 and another before and after ca 1317. On both occasions the Catalans were instrumental in shaping these processes: initially as conquerors on behalf of the Byzantine emperors and then, from their new base in Greece, as allies of the Aydinogullari rulers of Ayasuluk. Additionally, it is proposed that this new gigliato currency might have been minted at Rhodes from the summer of 1319, after which it rapidly reached the Ephesus area in a military context.

‘A PATH LESS TRAVELLED’? A CASE STUDY OF CROSS-REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM BC FROM THE MADRA RIVER DELTA ON THE COASTLINE OF NORTH-WEST ANATOLIA

Assumptions are always made about the levels and directions of cultural connections across regions in western Anatolia and the eastern Aegean in the Early Bronze Age (EBA). However, a lack of primary fieldwork data still inhibits clear conclusions and an understanding of the subtleties and variations in such patterns. In particular, primary data is still lacking from the critical coastal ‘touch-point’ of these two regions where material evidence is usually obscured by significant geomorphological change. This article looks at this complex issue of variations in regional connectivity in the EBA through a case study of unpublished primary fieldwork material from the Madra River Delta, a coastal region of north-west Anatolia. Material from the excavation and surface survey of two EBA mound sites in the delta, carried out as part of the interdisciplinary research project, gives a rare opportunity to explore ‘connectivity’ on this coastal area through elements of its EBA material culture, ranging from ceramic and textile production to figurines. The article highlights not only the complex, and unexpected, nature of the inter-regional cultural ‘pathways’ visible in the delta itself, but also the implications – and further questions – which this raises for the cultural connections with the neighbouring region of the north-east Aegean.