Trans-Aegean Dispersal and Occupation Potential as Reflected in Predictive Modeling for the Early and Middle Pleistocene

ABSTRACT Recent paleogeographic reconstructions for the Pleistocene indicate the prevalence of terrestrial environments with attractive natural resources in the largest part of the area now covered by the Aegean Sea. What would the occurrence of the extended terrestrial Aegean landscapes mean regarding connections between western Anatolia and Europe via the Greek mainland during the Early and Middle Pleistocene? This article explores the Aegean perspective through the development of an affordance-based GIS approach, leading to the production of predictive models on suitability and a series of trans-Aegean dispersal and occupation scenarios. The application of the study of edaphics to the Paleolithic Lesbos case study extends the methodology by incorporating more affordance variables, that is, soil properties. The article opts for a reconsideration of the traditional terrestrial Eurocentric narrative about the early colonization of Europe suggesting an affordance corridor hypothesis that emphasizes the potential of the eastern gateways.