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The relationship between humans, their landscapes, and the natural environment is complex and underlies mutual non-material and material fluxes. Especially challenging is the attempt to reconstruct this relationship in order to understand the role and relevance of Space and Knowledge of Ancient Civilizations, the core theme of the cluster of excellence Exc 264 Topoi, funded from 2007–2019. In this book we present the results of an attempt to use a system-oriented concept of social ecology as tool for interdisciplinary collaboration and integrative research on aspects of human-environmental relationship. In six different interdisciplinary projects the developed social ecological model is applied and critically discussed.

Space and landscape are central terms in the investigation of past societies and their interrelationship with the environment. However, even though these terms are so central, their definition is ambiguous what hinders a successful communication of research results and an open discussion. In this contribution we sketch the historical development of the understanding of space and landscape. Based on this summary we propose to think of these terms inclusively by integrating four different viewpoints on space, i.e. space as container, space as system of relations and connections, space as product of human perception, and space as construct. We employ our integrative viewpoint by developing different research questions for a holistic analysis of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic archaeological site Göbekli Tepe., Raum und Landschaft sind trotz ihrer zentralen Stellung in der Erforschung vergangener Gesellschaften und deren Wechselbeziehung mit der Umwelt bis heute nicht eindeutig definiert. Dies stellt ein zunehmendes Hindernis für die wissenschaftliche Kommunikation und offene Diskussion dar. Im Rahmen dieses Beitrages skizzieren wir zunächst die Bedeutungsentwicklung beider Begriffe, um darauf aufbauend eine neue Sichtweise vorzuschlagen, die die unterschiedlichen Facetten des Landschafts- und Raumbegriffs – als Container, als System von Lagebeziehungen, als Kategorie der Sinneswahrnehmung und als Konstrukt – integriert. Veranschaulicht wird diese alternative, holistische Betrachtungsweise anhand des präkeramisch-neolithischen Fundplatzes Göbekli Tepe.

This contribution provides a first characterization of the environmental development for the surroundings of the UNESCO World Heritage site of G&ouml, bekli Tepe. We base our analyses on a literature review that covers the environmental components of prevailing bedrock and soils, model- and proxy-based climatic development, and vegetation. The spatio-temporal scales that are covered are mainly the Eastern Mediterranean region and the Late Quaternary&mdash, whereby special attention is given to available data from the close vicinity of G&ouml, bekli Tepe. Information on Late Quaternary geomorphodynamics is largely absent for the environs of G&ouml, bekli Tepe, we therefore included remote sensing data, different terrain modeling approaches and field-based geomorphological mapping to gain insights into past process dynamics. The findings indicate that the environmental conditions at G&ouml, bekli Tepe during its time of occupation differed significantly from today, showing denser vegetation and a wide spread sediment cover. Different hypotheses are developed that aim to guide future research on environmental changes and their variations during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. These activities are crucial for a more profound understanding of the environment of the site, its potential perception by humans and therefore for the development of narratives on their landscape creation motives.

The archaeological site Qurayyah, situated in the NW of the Tabuk Province of Saudi Arabia, has been repeatedly described as one of the largest and most significant oases of Northwestern Arabia. Human occupation in the oasis started at least from the early Holocene and continued to the Nabatean, Roman and late Byzantine period. The hydrologically favored position results from its specific geomorphological location where the plateaus fade towards the east and the landscape opens towards the Tabuk Basin so that a balanced water supply was ensured. We present a geomorphological map (1:20,000; main map) based on the interpretation of a high-resolution satellite image and detailed control in the field. The map integrates archaeological, hydraulic and natural features in order to show how the people at Qurayyah structured their landscape and developed water management strategies in relation to prevailing geomorphological processes during the incipient phase (Bronze Age) of the oasis.

Supplemental material, 2_Supplemental_Material_A for Transforming landscapes: Modeling land-use patterns of environmental borderlands by Daniel Knitter, Jan Piet Brozio, Walter Dörfler, Rainer Duttmann, Ingo Feeser, Wolfgang Hamer, Wiebke Kirleis, Johannes Müller and Oliver Nakoinz in The Holocene

In this contribution we apply different methods of spatial and geomorphometric analysis in order to present a general approach of data exploration in areas where detailed local information is absent. Our data are based on locations of megalithic graves from Funnel Beaker societies (3700-2800 BCE) in the area of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Using these locations, we apply methods of point pattern analysis in order to reconstruct the spatial processes that created the sample: We use density based measures to show the influence of first order effects on the dataset. While first order effects are related to the underlying areal characteristics of the point locations and hence are determinant of their intensity, second-order effects are the result of interactions between points. We conduct distance related approaches, e.g.\ focusing on nearest neighbor characteristics, in order to investigate the interaction between the points. The point pattern analyses is complemented by integrating geomorphometric measures that are indirectly indicative for some general environmental conditions, even in prehistoric times. This helps (a) to relate first-order effects to societal or environmental features and (b) to understand the specific pattern of interactions between the points. The necessary raw data in form of digital elevation models are freely available for large parts of the globe. All analyses are conducted using free and open source software in order to provide their limitless application.

This study analyses the relationship between Aleppo and settlements in the city’s hinterland based on spatial statistics. A theoretical extension of the term central place is used in reconstructing Aleppo’s central character. Locally the city served as a centre for trade, exchange, and cult activity. In a regional and supra-regional context, advantages deriving from the topographic location led trade, exchange, and craft to take on different functions. This study demonstrates that, in constrast to other important cities in the ancient Middle East, Aleppo could maintain its long-lasting significance as a central place due to the combination of different functions.

The present work investigates the transparency of scientific work in a graphical-archaeological context. It is outlined what reproducibility means and why it is relevant and needs to be established. Therefore, the literature is examined and a predictive model using Python is developed. This models objective is to predict the presence of old village structures in the Pergamon region based on real archaeological findings. This is a master thesis paper has been written under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Rainer Duttmann and Dr. Daniel Knitter at the Geographic Institute of Kiel University.