ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY OF THE BRONZE-IRON AGE TRANSITION PERIOD OF EASTERN EUROPE

摘要

The migration of Scythians depended on climatic changes during the Bronze/Iron Age transition, which corresponds to Subboreal/Subatlantic climate periods. Data from oxbow lake sediments were used to distinguish climatic and environmental fluctuations. Climatic cooling started and humidity increased in the Late Subboreal. In the Bronze Age Subboreal draught farming spread and in the beginning of the Iron Age Subatlantic farming declined in East Europe. About 3500 years ago all the temperatures indices were about 1° higher and the precipitation was 50 mm more than nowadays. During the succeeding cooling at about 2500 years BP, the temperature was about 1° lower and the precipitation was a little greater in comparison with the modern indices. Precipitation decreased between the warming (3500 BP) and cooling (2500 BP). The biodiversity during the Bronze/Iron Age transition had an impact on the economy of Scythian cultures.