Rep ese tative
Image
(AI-ge e ated)
I
2019,
esea che s
ide tified
Koska lı
Cave
ea
T abzo ,
i
Tü kiye’s
easte
Black
Sea
egio .
Acco di g
to
a
study
published
i
the
jou al
A tiquity,
late
excavatio s
at
the
cave
evealed
a
12,900-yea -old
hu te -gathe e
laye
co tai i g
a
hea th,
sto e
tools
a d
pe so al
o ame ts.
The
fi di gs
p ovide
a e
a chaeological
evide ce
of
huma
activity
i
the
egio
du i g
the
Epipalaeolithic
pe iod,
offe i g
esea che s
a
glimpse
i to
the
lives
a d
activities
of
commu ities
that
lived
the e
thousa ds
of
yea s
ago.The
discove y
is
sig ifica t
because
the
cave
p ovides
the
fi st
systematic
a chaeological
evide ce
of
a
Epipalaeolithic
occupatio
i
this
pa t
of
the
easte
Black
Sea
egio .
The
excavated
laye
co tai s
t aces
of
a
fi eplace,
sto e
tools
a d
pe so al
o ame ts,
givi g
esea che s
a
a e
glimpse
i to
how
p ehisto ic
people
lived
i
a
egio
that
has
eceived
compa atively
little
a chaeological
atte tio
fo
this
pe iod.
Cave
ide tified
i
2019
Koska lı
Cave
is
located
i
the
Söğütlü
Valley,
about
40
kilomet es
south
of
T abzo
a d
at
a
elevatio
of
app oximately
1,030
met es
above
sea
level.
The
cave
sits
close
to
the
Söğütlü
C eek,
a
impo ta t
wate cou se
i
the
a ea.
Acco di g
to
the
A tiquity
study,
the
site
was
eco ded
du i g
a chaeological
su veys
i
2019,
while
systematic
excavatio s
bega
i
2024
u de
the
joi t
di ectio
of
the
T abzo
Museum
a d
Ka ade iz
Tech ical
U ive sity.The
cave
developed
withi
a
py oclastic
geological
fo matio .
Its
locatio
is
pa ticula ly
i te esti g
to
a chaeologists
because
the
easte
Black
Sea
egio
lies
at
a
geog aphical
ju ctio
betwee
A atolia
a d
the
Caucasus.
This
positio
could
have
made
the
a ea
impo ta t
fo
the
moveme t
of
p ehisto ic
g oups,
tech ologies
a d
ideas.Du i g
the
fi st
excavatio
seaso
i
2024,
esea che s
i vestigated
seve al
a eas,
i cludi g
t e ches
i side
the
cave
a d
deposits
outside
it.
A
total
of
16
squa e
met es
was
excavated
i
the
mai
t e ch.
The
uppe
deposits
co tai ed
distu bed
a chaeological
mate ial
att ibuted
to
diffe e t
p ehisto ic
pe iods.Be eath
this
distu bed
mate ial,
howeve ,
a chaeologists
e cou te ed
somethi g
much
mo e
sig ifica t:
a
i tact
occupatio
laye
associated
with
the
Epipalaeolithic
pe iod.
A
12,900-yea -old
livi g
laye
The
i tact
laye
was
betwee
about
20
a d
40
ce timet es
thick
a d
co tai ed
fi e
g it,
ash,
ca bo ised
mate ial,
bu t
sedime t
a d
pieces
of
fli t
that
had
bee
alte ed
by
heat.
Togethe ,
these
emai s
i dicate
that
people
had
used
fi e
i side
the
cave.Resea che s
ide tified
what
they
i te p et
as
a
i -situ
hea th,
mea i g
the
evide ce
appea s
to
have
emai ed
close
to
whe e
the
o igi al
activity
occu ed
athe
tha
bei g
t a spo ted
f om
elsewhe e.
Radioca bo
dati g
of
bo e
a d
cha coal
placed
the
occupatio
towa d
the
e d
of
the
13th
mille ium
cal
BC.
O e
cha coal
sample
p oduced
a
date
a ge
of
12,916–12,183
cal
BC,
while
a
bo e
sample
was
dated
to
12,413–12,070
cal
BC.The
dates
place
the
occupatio
oughly
12,900–12,000
yea s
ago,
du i g
the
closi g
stages
of
the
Late
Pleistoce e
a d
a ou d
the
t a sitio
towa d
the
Ea ly
Holoce e.
The
a chaeological
mate ial
also
p ovides
clues
about
the
activities
ca ied
out
i side
the
cave.
Resea che s
ecove ed
a
a ge
of
sto e
a tefacts
made
f om
diffe e tly
colou ed
fli t,
alo g
with
obsidia
a d
a
small
umbe
of
blades
made
f om
dacitic
ock.The
collectio
i cludes
e d-sc ape s,
backed
blades
a d
bladelets,
poi ts,
pe fo ato s,
bu i s
a d
small
c esce t-shaped
tools
k ow
as
lu ates.
The
p ese ce
of
co es,
blades
a d
k appi g
deb is
suggests
that
at
least
some
tool
p oductio
took
place
at
the
site
itself.
Tools,
o ame ts
a d
egio al
li ks
The
tools
fou d
at
Koska lı
Cave
a e
impo ta t
ot
o ly
because
of
thei
age
but
also
because
of
thei
tech ological
cha acte istics.
Resea che s
fou d
simila ities
betwee
the
assemblage
a d
Epipalaeolithic
i dust ies
elsewhe e
i
A atolia,
the
Leva t
a d
the
Caucasus.
The
cave’s
positio
betwee
A atolia
a d
the
Caucasus
the efo e
gives
the
site
pa ticula
impo ta ce.
The
simila ities
i
tool-maki g
tech iques
could
help
esea che s
i vestigate
patte s
of
moveme t,
i te actio
a d
the
t a smissio
of
tech ological
t aditio s
amo g
p ehisto ic
commu ities.The
discove ies
also
eveal
a
mo e
pe so al
side
of
life
i side
the
cave.
Amo g
the
fi ds
we e
a
g ooved
f agme t
of
a tle
a d
a
pe fo ated
a imal
tooth.
Resea che s
i te p et
these
objects
as
evide ce
of
pe so al
ado me t,
suggesti g
that
the
people
who
occupied
Koska lı
we e
ot
simply
p oduci g
tools
a d
usi g
the
cave
as
a
p actical
shelte
but
also
e gaged
i
fo ms
of
pe so al
deco atio .Fau al
emai s
a d
mollusc
shells
we e
also
ecove ed,
although
esea che s
have
ot
yet
completed
thei
ide tificatio .
Futu e
a alysis
of
a imal
a d
pla t
emai s
could
p ovide
mo e
i fo matio
about
what
these
hu te -gathe e s
ate,
how
they
used
the
su ou di g
e vi o me t
a d
how
they
adapted
to
co ditio s
i
the
easte
Black
Sea
egio .Fo
a chaeologists,
Koska lı
Cave
the efo e
ep ese ts
mo e
tha
a
old
campsite.
The
esea che s
desc ibe
it
as
a
ew
efe e ce
poi t
fo
u de sta di g
Late
Pleistoce e
hu te -gathe e s
i
a
egio
whe e
evide ce
fo
this
pe iod
has
bee
compa atively
limited.
Co ti ued
excavatio s
a d
a alysis
could
eveal
mo e
about
thei
tech ology,
subsiste ce,
mobility
a d
co ectio s
with
eighbou i g
commu ities.The
cave’s
ide tificatio
du i g
a chaeological
su veys
i
2019
a d
the
late
excavatio s
have
established
it
as
a
impo ta t
a chaeological
site
fo
studyi g
p ehisto ic
life
i
the
easte
Black
Sea
egio .
The
12,900-yea -old
laye
p ese ves
evide ce
of
hu te -gathe e s
usi g
fi e,
maki g
sto e
tools
a d
wea i g
pe so al
o ame ts,
leavi g
behi d
t aces
of
thei
activities
that
have
su vived
fo
thousa ds
of
yea s.
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