The volume is dedicated to Klaus Schmidt [1953-2014] who is honoured by two memorial papers and a bibliography. This is followed by an introduction, 7 contributions of a conference at Şanlıurfa in 2012 on “Palaeoenvironment and the development of early societies” and 14 of a meeting at Aqaba in 2013 on “The development of early settlement in arid regions”. In the first one, topics range from climatic and cultural development of West Africa, warfare and the neolithisation of Anatolia, climatic and environmental change on the Iberian Peninsula, the missing Middle Neolithic of Morocco, environmental and cultural dynamics in Peru, palaeoecology and history of Easter Island to Neolithic land use of Central Europe. The other articles deal with research around Petra and Aqaba, transhumance in PPN B in NE-Jordan, fringes of arid regions in Central Jordan, prehistoric settlements and pastures in NE-Jordan, changes of climate and occupation in the Sahara Desert, Holocene settlement dynamics in Sudan, SE-Australia, and Arizona, Holocene landscapes in SW-Egypt, prehistoric Balochistan, the occupation of the Namib Desert as well as arid zones and complex societies in South America.
