Researchers explore Ice Age human settlements in Turkey

(MENAFN) Turkish archaeologists are investigating human activity from the Ice Age in south-central Türkiye by walking long stretches daily and surveying stream beds and ancient geological formations. Their work has uncovered new evidence of early human life preserved in caves, rock shelters, and open sites.

Launched in 2023, the project focuses on identifying traces of human presence through systematic surface surveys. This approach has led to discoveries in previously unknown caves and shelters across multiple districts of Gaziantep province, including Yavuzeli, Araban, Sehitkamil, eastern Nurdagi, and parts of Islahiye. The next phase will extend research to Nizip, Oguzeli, and Sahinbey.

Prof. Ismail Baykara, from Gaziantep University’s Department of Archaeology, highlighted the region’s importance in Ice Age research. Evidence from this period, which began around 3 million years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago, suggests Gaziantep was not merely a transit area but a place where human communities lived for extended periods.

“Gaziantep is a rich geography that, during the Pleistocene period, offered in one place the raw materials, water resources and natural environmental conditions needed by human groups,” Baykara said. “Through the studies we have carried out over the last three years, we have uncovered many findings dating to different periods.”

He noted that data from caves, rock shelters, and open settlements could reshape understanding of human mobility and lifestyles in Anatolia. Some of the caves discovered have the potential to significantly revise the Pleistocene timeline in the region and are crucial for studying human activity before the Neolithic transition.

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