Map: Lower Paleolithic sites in Turkey

Map of known Lower Paleolithic sites in Turkey.

©Map: Berkay Dinçer

Map: Paleolithic sites in northwestern Turkey

Map of Paleolithic sites in northwestern Turkey discovered by Berkay
Dincer or research teams included him, from 2000 to 2009.
(not including other Paleolithic sites in the region)

©Map: Berkay Dinçer

Map showing:

1. Yatak (found by B. Dinçer in year 2000, Lower Paleolithic, Tekirdag)
2. Balıtepe (found by B. Dinçer in year 2005, Lower Paleolithic, Tekirdag)
3. Kuşçesme (found by B. Dinçer in year 2005, Lower Paleolithic, Tekirdag)
4. Çakmaklı (found by B. Dinçer & O. Özbudak in year 2006, Lower-Middle Paleolithic, Istanbul)
5. Omartepe Sırtı (found by B. Dinçer in year 2006, Middle Paleolithic, Kütahya)
6. Akçeşme (found by B. Dinçer in year 2007, Lower Paleolithic, Tekirdag)
7. Şahinkaya Cave (found by M. Şahin & B. Dinçer in year 2007, Middle Paleolithic, Bursa)
8. Görükle  (found by B. Dinçer in year 2008, Middle Paleolithic, Bursa)
9. Belen Tepe (found by M. Şahin & B. Dinçer in year 2009, Lower-Middle Paleolithic,Bursa)
10. Gavurevleri (found by M. Şahin & B. Dinçer in year 2009, Middle Paleolithic, Bursa)
11. Manyas (found by S. Çağlar & B. Dinçer in year 2007, Middle Paleolithic, Balıkesir)

Publications about those sites:

Dinçer, B., L. Slimak,
2007, "The Paleolithic of Turkish Thrace: Synthesis and Recent Results", Turkish Academy of Sciences Archaeology Journal (TÜBA-Ar) X: 49-61. (YATAK-KUSTEPE-BALITEPE) (more publications in Turkish can be reached on this link: http://paleoberkay.atspace.com/berkaydincer.html)

Dinçer, B., 2008
"Kuzeybatı Türkiye'de Orta Paleolitik Çağ'la İlgili Yeni Keşifler", III. Ulusal Biyolojik Antropoloji Sempozyumu, Ankara (27-29 Ekim 2008). (AKCESME-CAKMAKLI-OMARTEPE SIRTI-GORUKLE-SAHİNKAYA CAVE)

Şahin, M., B. Dinçer, T. Zimmermann, 2009
"Neue Fundplätze des Älteren Paläolithikums bei Bursa in nordwestenanatolien (Türkei)", Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 39/2: 153-162. (SAHİNKAYA CAVE-GORUKLE)

Bifacial hand-axe from Karain Cave

Bifacial hand-axe from Karain Cave (Antalya-Turkey).

Photo taken in the First Humans of Turkey exhibit (Türkiye'nin İlk
İnsanları Sergisi).
©Photo: Berkay Dinçer

Homo erectus skull from Turkey

Homo erectus skull from Denizli-Turkey.

Photo taken in the First Humans of Turkey exhibit (Türkiye'nin İlk
İnsanları Sergisi).
©Photo: Berkay Dinçer

Paleolithic of Euphrates River

Lower and Middle Paleolithic stone tools from Euphrates River.
Bifaces, levallois cores and flakes/blades.

Photo taken in the First Humans of Turkey exhibit (Türkiye'nin İlk
İnsanları Sergisi).
©Photo: Berkay Dinçer

Denticulates and notched tools from Yarimburgaz Cave

Stone tools from Yarımburgaz Cave (Istanbul). Notches and denticulates.

Photo taken in the First Humans of Turkey exhibit (Türkiye'nin İlk
İnsanları Sergisi).
©Photo: Berkay Dinçer

Yarimburgaz Caves

Yarımburgaz Caves (lower and upper cave) near Istanbul, Turkey.

©Photo: Berkay Dinçer

Yarimburgaz Cave, Paleolithic excavations

Yarımburgaz Cave (Istanbul). Paleolithic excavations in the lower cave.

©Photo: Berkay Dinçer

Photo: Obsidian hand axe (Palaeolithic)

Obsidian hand-axe made. Lower Paleolithic.
© Photo: Berkay Dinçer

Photos: Paleolithic chopper from Balitepe

 

A Lower Paleolithic chopper from Balitepe, NW Turkey.

Drawing: © Ludovic Slimak

Photos: "Micro" choppers from Balitepe

 

Two small sized choppers from the lithic industry of Balıtepe.

Drawing: © Ludovic Slimak

Photos: Paleolithic choppers from Kustepe

 

Lithic industry of Kuştepe is dominated by choppers. Bottom right: chopper having batterings on its surface.

Photo: © Berkay Dinçer

Photos: Paleolithic choppers and chopping tools from Yatak

 

Yatak is the only Paleolithic site in Turkish Thrace which yields numerous chopping tools. There are not very much chopping tools in the other sites detad to Lower Paleolithic in the region.

Top left: chopper
Top right: a kind of biface which does not seem like typical Acheulean hand axes
Middle: heavy chopping tool
Bottom left chopping tool
Bottom right: chopping tool

Photo: © Berkay Dinçer

Photos: Balitepe, Paleolithic site

 

Balitepe is another Paleolithic site in Turkish Thrace.

Photo: © Berkay Dinçer

Photos: Kustepe, Paleolithic site

 

Kustepe (Kuştepe) is located in Tekirdag/Turkish Thrace. It is the secondly discovered Paleolithic site of the region.

Photo: © Berkay Dinçer

Photos: Yatak, a Lower Paleolithic site in Turkish Thrace

 

Yatak is the first discovered Paleolithic site of inner parts of Turkish Thrace. Yatak is discovered in 2000. Lately most of it destructed because of agricultural activities taken place on the site.

Photo: © Berkay Dinçer

Photos: Chopper from Yarimburgaz Cave

 

A chopper from Yarimburgaz Cave. Photo taken at Istanbul Archaeology Museum.

Photo: © Berkay Dinçer

Photo: Paleolithic site of Cakmakli in Istanbul

 

Cakmakli (Çakmaklı in Turkish), located on the eastern shore of Buyuk Cekmece lake, is an open-air Lower and Middle Paleolithic site on the west of modern Istanbul discovered by B. Dinçer and O. Özbudak in 13.11.2006.

There are chopper/chopping tools and levallois cores in the industry.

Photo: © Berkay Dinçer

Photos: Yarimburgaz Cave

 

Yarımburgaz Caves, located in Istanbul, has two cavities; upper and lower. Excavations in upper cave yielded Neolithic/Chalcolithic layers, excavations in lower cave shed light to one of the earliest (400kyr) Lower Paleolithic occupations of Turkey. 

Photos: Yarimburgaz Cave - inside

Inside the lower cave of Yarimburgaz Caves.
© Berkay Dinçer