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The focus of the Akliman Valley project is to reconstruct the paleogeography and paleoenvironments of this coastal river valley over the
Late Holocene. The valley, located just west of the Sinop (Turkey), has a flat alluvial bottom flanked by bedrock topography. During the summers of 1998 and 1999, we obtained 15 sediment cores up to 12
meters length from the valley bottom using an Eijkelkamp gouge auger.
Based on that work and results from sedimentary and microfossil analyses, we have reconstructed the relative sequence of geomorphic evolution in the valley. We have not yet obtained C-14 dates to provide absolute calendar ages for the sequence, but have plenty of organic material to make this possible in the future.
This project is a component of the Black Sea Trade Project (BSTP), an interdisciplinary archaeological
study of trade systems in the Black Sea over the past 5,000 years, and their effects on local cultures and economies. The BSTP project is directed by Fredrik T. Hiebert of the University of
Pennsylvania Museum.
The highest profile component of BSTP is the underwater program directed by Robert Ballard (Institute for Exploration) and David Mindell (MIT DeepArch Research Group). Among other things, they are investigating the well-known Ryan and Pitman theory that the myth of Noah's Flood is related to a catastrophic real event in the Black Sea about 7600 years ago. There is a webpage online that talks about their work in the Black Sea in 2000, and another short page titled "Noah's Flood and Ancient Shipwrecks".
Here are some interesting figures related to the Akliman Valley project which I'll add to as time permits.
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