The evolution of the paleolandscape of the Northeastern Black Sea Region and the settlement system in the Ancient and Medieval periods

DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2025-3-31-566-581

View or download the article (Rus)

About the Authors

Galina V. Trebeleva

Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
19, Dmitriya Ulyanova str., Moscow, 117292, Russia,
E-mail: trgv@mail.ru

Tamara A. Sadchikova

Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
7s1, Pyzhyovsky ln., Moscow, 119017, Russia,
E-mail: tamara-sadchikova@yandex.ru

Andrey L. Chepalyga

Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
29s4, Staromonetny ln., Moscow, 119017, Russia,
E-mail: markula_exped@mail.ru

Maya D. Kaitamba

Abkhazian State University,
1, Universitetskaya str., Sukhum, Abkhazia,
E-mail: lanadk@mail.ru

Abstract

The organization of space (features of the settlement structure, the settlement system), being one of the qualitative characteristics of any culture, is not only closely related to the geographical features of the region, but also fully includes them. Therefore, any changes related to the landscape and climate naturally affect the features of the organization of space and the dynamics of changes in the settlement system. The main method is spatial analysis. At the current level of technology development, such work is carried out using GIS technologies, which include not only archaeological data, but also data from related natural science disciplines. This paper presents the results of research in the field of paleomedia reconstruction and their inclusion in the combined GIS of the northeastern Black Sea Region. This paper presents the results of research in the field of paleomedia reconstruction and their inclusion in the combined GIS of the northeastern Black Sea Region. To reconstruct the paleolandscape environment and climate, a complex of paleogeographic studies was carried out, including the study of Holocene terraces on the coast from the Mamai-Kale fortress (the westernmost point) to Ochamchira (the eastern point) and spore-pollen analysis. The conducted studies allowed us to identify micro-regional features of the paleoclimate for different parts of the coast based on the analysis of sedimentation processes. The first and most important result was the identification of a system of terraces of the Holocene period, reflecting not only the transgressive and regressive processes of the world ocean, but also the tectonic features of the region. Studies of the features in the structure of the formation of coastal terraces in different parts of the coast of northwestern Colchis have allowed us to identify two main types of sediments: sediments of shallow stagnant waterlogged bodies of lagoon-lake type and terraces with horizons of pebbles and gravelites, representing channel, delta, or floodplain alluvium with relative sorting of material, as well as unsorted outflows of mudflows. Summarizing the results obtained, it should be said that at the moment it has been possible to outline the evolution of the settlement system as a whole in large strokes. Two factors play a key role here: the altitude of the mountains and the wetlands of the area. The main settlements are being fixed, and new ones must be sought at altitudes from about 100 m to 500 m above sea level. In the higher altitude zone, settlements are more often of a cult or seasonal nature (shepherds’ camps). And coastal settlements are actively developing during periods of drier climate, when the coast is draining, but they are abandoned during wetter periods.

Keywords

spatial analysis in GIS, settlement system, paleolandscape, paleoclimate, spore-pollen analysis

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For citation: Trebeleva G.V., Sadchikova T.A., Chepalyga A.L., Kaitamba M.D. The evolution of the paleolandscape of the Northeastern Black Sea Region and the settlement system in the Ancient and Medieval periods. InterCarto. InterGIS. Moscow: MSU, Faculty of Geography, 2025. V. 31. Part 3. P. 566–581. DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2025-3-31-566-581 (in Russian)