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Associated doctoral student Taravat  Talebi, M.A.

Associated doctoral student

Taravat Talebi (Iran, 1989)

M.A. in Natural resources engineering - Forestry

PhD project
New insight into the Dutch landnam history of northern Netherlands; palynological analysis on pingo scars (East and Southeast Friesland)
In the last decades, archaeological studies have clarified the obscure history of human life. The transition from hunting and gathering to farming (Neolithisation) and land occupation (Landnam) had always been one of the most interesting issues in archeological studies. However, in some areas such as the northern Netherlands, the majority of the sites and materials have been affected by natural causes or human effects during the time. Hence, available pieces of evidence of probable crop cultivation and farming activities of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers are scarce. In this case, palynology can act as a useful tool to make a reliable picture of dominant vegetation or agricultural activities in an area of the preferred period of the past. In northwestern Europe, high abundance of the special geological phenomenon, named pingo scar, has provided a unique opportunity for palyno/archaeological studies. Pingos are more or less circular periglacial features in the northern latitudes, which mostly are of Holocene age. From 9700 years BC, by melting the core ice of frost mounds in warmer periods and expansion of vegetation around the holes, peat accumulation process and subsequently, recording of environmental changes began. This process resulted in the formation of an environmental record with remarkable details in each Pingo scar. The abundance of this phenomenon in the northern Netherlands has provided the possibility for local environmental changes reconstructions at the low time scale. However, despite numerous palynological studies on pingos, the difference between recorded data in each pingo scar has not been specified yet. It seems along with major regional changes, each pingo has recorded a history of local changes in its own memory. In order to achieve new insight in the farming transition phase in the northern Netherlands, a palynological study based on several pingo scars has been started. This study reveals the first signs of human interference in natural vegetation and the onset of agricultural activities. Furthermore, the project aims to determine whether the pollen signals related to the farming transition can observe synchronous or diachronous in the pollen diagrams from selected pingo scars. A scrutiny of the environmental changes archive in a group of pingos at the different geographical distances and over the same time interval can reveal the difference of the recorded information in each pingo. The result of this investigation is of importance, as it will help determine a preservation strategy for the numerous pingo scars in the area. Moreover, the project tries to explore a new type of representation of pollen analysis results to make this interesting data more understandable for archaeologists and the interested public. In this study, various methodologies will be used to approach the goals.
Research interests Quaternary palynology, Micro/Macrocharcoal analysis, Macrofossil analysis, Non-pollen palynomorph analysis.
Education

2011 - 2013
MSc of Engineering of Natural Resources, Forestry, specialty in Quaternary palynology, Urmia University, Iran.

2007 - 2011
BSc of Engineering of Natural Resources, Forestry, Gonbad University, Iran.

Work experience

September 2017
Collaboration in " Investigation of first transition to farming in northern Netherlands, palynological analysis on pingo scars" under the supervision of Prof. Dr. R.T.J. Cappers, Prof. Dr. D. C. M. Raemaekers, Prof. Dr. W. Kirleis and Dr. W. Dörfler. University of Groningen. Groningen Institute of Archaeology.

June 2015 – April 2016
Collaboration in "Palynological reconstruction of the vegetation and climate history of Arasbaran Forest, NW Iran", directed by Dr. A. Shirvany and Dr, E. Ramezani, Urmia University, Faculty of Natural Resources, Department of Forestry.

April 2014 – December 2014
Collaboration in "Palynological reconstruction of the late-Holocene vegetation and climate history of lake Urmia National park, NW Iran (on longer second core from lake Urmia Sediments)" Urmia University, Faculty of Natural Resources, Department of Forestry.

June 2012 – August 2014
Collaboration in "Environmental Monitoring and Forecasting of Iranian Internal Lakes", directed by Dr. Hamid Alizadeh Ketek Lahijani and Dr, Abdol Madjid Naderi, Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science.

Selected publications

2016
The Late-Holocene climate change, vegetation dynamics, lake-level changes and anthropogenic impacts in the Lake Urmia region, NW Iran. 2016. Taravat Talebi, Elias Ramezani, Morteza Djamali, Hamid Alizadeh Ketek Lahijani, Alireza Naqinezhad, Kamaleddin Alizadeh, Valérie Andrieu-Ponel. Quaternary International, Volume 408, Part A, Pages 40-51 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040618215011969).

Under revision papers

Palynological study of a high-altitude peatland in Arasbaran Protected Area, NW Iran, Elias Ramezani, Anoushirvan Shirvani, Taravat Talebi, Kamaledin Alizadeh, Behnam Hamzehee, Hermann Behling.

Memberships

Archon Research School of Archaeology

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