Settlement strategy and paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Menekşe Çatağı from chalcolithic period to ancient times in North-western Turkey

In this study, the findings obtained from the archaeological and geomorphological research carried out in Menekşe Çatağı settlement, especially in 2023 drillings excavations, are presented and interpreted in a geoarchaeological context. Menekşe Çatağı is located on the northern coast of the Marmara Sea, 12 km west of Tekirdağ province. This settlement was inhabited by a range of cultures extending from the Middle Chalcolithic Period to the Ancient times, and data about these cultures were unearthed through archaeological excavations. This article provides direct and indirect evidence regarding the sedimentological change processes of Menekşe Çatağı settlement, during a wide range of cultural layers. It is necessary to consider the main scope of this study not only as a means of revealing the physical structure of external factors experienced in the past but also as a part of the process of understanding the dimension and variability of the dialectical interaction between the social environment and the physical environment. In this context, the space use, and changes of the inhabitants of Menekşe Çatağı have been mapped in detail. An attempt has been made to define how geological factors affect the area where the settlement is located. By evaluating geomorphological studies and archaeological data, more realistic interpretations were made by revealing the transformations in the settlement strategy and the inhabitant’s reactions to this transformation.