Physical geography of the Kuşadası-Davutlar coastal plain and its surroundings

The data of drilling drilling studies in Kuşadası-Davutlar coastal plain and around Kadıkalesi were evaluated together with the sections prepared according to these data and our general regional information. Thus, the geomorphological development of the area in Holocene was determined. In this development, paleogeography of Kadıkalesi and its environs has been revealed and geoarchaeological evaluations can be made with the cultural developments in the region. According to this, the sedimentological, paleontological and geomorphological evaluation of all drillings revealed that the sea level at -130 meters in the last ice age was rapidly increased due to a warmer period and the melting of glaciers. Depending on the rising sea level, it has been determined that the coastline has progressed more inward than the present day. According to core drillings data, in Kuşadası-Davutlar coastal plain, the coastline was inserted 1-2 km in the Middle Holocene. As seen in the north-south and east-west cross sections of the Kadıkalesi mound and its immediate surroundings, it is observed that the area was surrounded by the sea. It was also determined it was in the form of a peninsula connected to the land by a thin neck from the eastern part in the Middle Holocene when the coastal line most advanced landward. The archaeological data on the Kadıkalesi mound indicate that the beginning of the settlement in this area go back at least 6,000 years ago. On the aforementioned dates, the sea level reached its highest position and was found in the most inland where the shoreline could progress. In this case, people who settled in this area must have used a peninsula with two small bay, which may be the appropriate harbor on both sides.