Discovery in Karaburun, İzmir: 11,000-year-old archaeological remains found

According to a statement from Ege University, historical remains were documented as a result of studies carried out using widespread surface survey methods in the Karaburun district of İzmir.

A large database based on geographic information systems was created through the work led by Prof. Dr. Çiler Çilingiroğlu.

In the statement, Çilingiroğlu noted that nearly 200 archaeological and historical sites were recorded during the 8-year research project.

'THE FINDINGS ARE SIGNIFICANT'

Pointing out that this is the first systematic study on the history of Karaburun and that it reveals unknown aspects of İzmir's prehistory, Çilingiroğlu provided the following information:

"Research around Yeni Liman in Karaburun has discovered the oldest known site in İzmir, reaching the first chipped stone tools preserved in situ related to the Lower and Middle Paleolithic periods in İzmir and its surroundings. These findings are significant for the prehistory of Western Anatolia and push back the presence of humans in İzmir by 250,000 years.

The research reached a large amount of archaeological data regarding hunter-gatherer groups who lived in the region during the Ice Age. The studies point to a microlithic chipped stone tool industry made of flint in Karaburun, dating back 12,000 years from the present.

'HISTORICAL PROCESSES HAVE BEEN ILLUMINATED'

This industry presents similarities with contemporary findings known from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean. The Karaburun Archaeological Surface Survey has reached the first archaeological evidence regarding nomadic hunter-gatherer groups who lived in the region 11,000 years ago, illuminating the historical processes prior to the emergence of an agriculture-based lifestyle in Western Anatolia."

Prof. Dr. Çilingiroğlu stated that all discoveries and findings have been presented to the scientific world by being published in international and national academic journals such as "Journal of Field Archaeology," "Antiquity," and "Arkeoloji Dergisi."