A new perspective on chronological and cultural dynamics from the early to the middle bronze age transition in central anatolia: A two-phase model of cultural development

Abstract

[This study argues that the transition from the late Early Bronze Age (EBA) to the Middle Bronze Age (MBA) in Central Anatolia followed a two-phase model of development rather than a linear progression. Based on archaeological evidence and radiocarbon (14C) data, it is proposed that the transition period, traditionally regarded as beginning with the early MBA in the Central Anatolian chronology, actually commenced around 2200/2150 BCE (contemporary with EBA IIIB or late EBA III). The second phase encompasses ca. 2050-1950 BCE (early MBA) and corresponds to the emergence of new cultural dynamics that characterized the "k & amacr;rum period" culture, contemporary with the first quarter of the 2nd millennium BCE in Central Anatolia. Accordingly, this study suggests that this phase should be defined not as a "transition" but as the "proto-k & amacr;rum" in both chronological and cultural terms. Furthermore, this terminological revision-supported by current archaeological, archaeobotanical, and paleoclimatic evidence-provides a renewed framework for re-evaluating the mechanisms underlying cultural continuity and disruption in the region. By integrating interdisciplinary data, the study aims to offer a more refined and comprehensive perspective on the chronological development of Central Anatolia during this cultural reorganization.]