The Younger Dryas in the Eastern Mediterranean

The Younger Dryas period is traced in pollen diagrams of the Eastern Mediterranean by means of radiocarbon dates. The biostratigraphy in terms of pollen assemblages is compared with the absolute time scale. The Younger Dryas as a pollen assemblage zone is at best vaguely visible in those parts that at present carry steppe or other open vegetation. The part that nowadays carries forest produces pollen zones, including the Younger Dryas, which resemble those of parts of Europe. Palynological developments in parts of the Eastern Mediterranean differ appreciably, which implies that the vegetation developed differently also. This suggests that the climatic development the various parts of the region was not the same.