Lake Level Changes, Lake Edge Basins and the Paleoenvironment of the Fayum North Shore, Egypt, during the Early to Mid-Holocene

Abstract

Fluctuations in the levels of Lake Qarun, Fayum, Egypt have long been recognized and are associated with Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic occupations dating to the early to mid-Holocene, some of which contain early evidence for the presence of southwest Asian domestic plants and animals. Here evidence for the extent and timing of these lake level changes is reassessed based on the analysis of a satellite derived digital surface model of the north shore of Lake Qarun. A more accurate topography for the region casts doubts on previously published lake level changes. The topography of a series of lake edge basins is assessed and used to make inferences about the nature of the early to mid-Holocene palaeoenvironment. This assessment in turn allows discussion of the significance of environmental change for shifts in the mid-Holocene palaeoeconomy documented in the Fayum.