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Lithic tools from the S ¸ ambayat locality: 1. Heavy-duty scraper; 2-3. Flake fragments; 4. Scraper; 5. Notched tool.
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Early Palaeolithic finds older than Acheulean were unknown in Eastern Anatolia until recently. During exploratory works carried out by a joint Russian-Turkish expedition in the Euphrates River basin (2014–2016), several stratified Early Palaeolithic localities were found. Lithic finds are represented by choppers, picks, retouched tools, and flakes....
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... Based on neotectonic data of the SE Turkey, it is possible to assume the connection of the Horasan and Agri Basins with the Mediterranean or the Persian Gulf via the Hinis Basin (s 83), through the drainage system of the Murat and lower Euphrates Rivers. We studied sections (s 84-87) of the Pliocene and Lower Pleistocene in this assumed channel (Trifonov et al., 2018;Ozherelyev et al., 2019). The four described sections show exclusively freshwater lacustrine and alluvial sedimentation in the Late Pliocene. ...
... The lynchpin of hominin traffic and technical behavior outside of Africa is Dmanisi in the southern Caucasus, dated to around 1.8 mya (million years ago). Recent discoveries and dating efforts have shown that similarly old assemblages are found in Turkey (Ozherelyev et al., 2019), Syria (Ain Fil and Hummal 19-23, El Kowm), Israel (Bizat and 'Ubeidiya) and Jordan (Zarqa valley sites), potentially connecting Lower Pleistocene Southwest Asia with key sites such as Sekem in Northeast Africa (Le Tensorer and Muhesen, 2021). These earliest assemblages represent so-called "core and flake industries" and lack an organized and recurrent bifacial tool component. ...
... De même, en Anatolie orientale, dans le bassin de l'Euphrate, et dans la chaîne du Taurus, des industries lithiques ont é té recueillies dans des sé diments plus anciens que l'é pisode d'Oldoway, c'està -dire avant 2 Ma (Fig. 16, Ozherelyev et al., 2019). ...
Résumé
Le Proche-Orient (de la façade méditerranéenne à l’Iran et de la Mer Rouge à la Mer Noire) se situe au carrefour des continents africain, asiatique et européen. Il représente un passage obligé lors de la dispersion des premiers humains hors d’Afrique. Les découvertes réalisées récemment, principalement en Syrie, Jordanie et Israël, montrent que les premiers peuplements de ce secteur remontent à plus de 2 millions d’années (Ma). La localisation des gisements renfermant des industries archaïques de type Oldowayen au sens large, souvent désignées par la locution « Core and Flake Industries » indique que plusieurs routes ont été maintes fois utilisées pour relier l’Égypte et la Péninsule Arabique aux bassins de l’Euphrate et du Tigre. Du Sud vers le Nord, si la route du littoral et le fossé tectonique de la Mer Morte, du Jourdain et de la Beqaa ont été des lieux privilégiés de peuplements très anciens, la route du désert au travers de la Jordanie et de la Syrie a été également utilisée voilà plus de 2 Ma. On observe au moins trois phases successives d’industries archaïques. Dans la plus ancienne, de 2,5 à 1,8 Ma environ, dominent les choppers, les chopping-tools, les nucléus et les éclats sans traces de retouches intentionnelles (Sites de Aïn Al Fil en Syrie, de la Vallée de Zarqa en Jordanie notamment) ; elle pourrait être qualifiée de Préoldowayen ou Oldowayen inférieur. De 1,8 à 1,3 Ma environ, se développe une culture comparable avec la présence supplémentaire de polyèdres réguliers et parfois d’une ébauche de façonnage bifacial ainsi que l’apparition de rares retouches intentionnelles autres que les stigmates d’utilisation ; nous l’appellerons Oldowayen supérieur (Hummal G-inférieur en Syrie, Bizat Ruhama et Ubeidiya inférieur en Israël). À partir de 1,3 Ma environ, commencent à apparaître des bifaces grossiers, toujours taillés au percuteur de pierre. Cette industrie marque la transition vers les industries acheuléennes, on pourrait la qualifier d’Acheuléen archaïque. Les premiers bifaces ont fait leur apparition dans un fond technologique de type très oldowayen (Hummal, Ubeidiya). Cependant, dans le Levant, des sites souvent considérés comme « pré-acheuléens » car ils ne possédaient pas de bifaces, mais plus récents que 1,3 Ma, ont été qualifiés de « Tayacien » pour les différencier de l’Acheuléen au sens strict. Ils semblent bien contemporains des premières phases acheuléennes et pourraient correspondre à un Oldowayen final. La question reste cependant posée de savoir s’il s’agit bien de cultures non acheuléennes ou « d’Acheuléens sans bifaces ».
... Cette importante découverte reste cependant limitée car impossible à dater par les méthodes directes (radiométriques) ou indirectes (biochronologie des faunes par exemple car les ossements ne sont pas conservés, ce qui est généralement le cas pour les sites de plein air dont les sols sont trop acides). À l'inverse, le cadre chrono-stratigraphique des localités prospectées dans les terrasses de l'Euphrate ( Figure 1, n o 8-14) semble mieux contraint et pourrait dater pour les plus anciennes de 2 Ma, mais les pièces lithiques qui y ont été collectées sont difficiles à déterminer (Ozherelyev et al., 2019). ...
Par sa position centrale au cœur de l’Eurasie et à la sortie de l’Afrique,
via le corridor levantin, il était attendu que la Turquie joue un rôle majeur dans l’histoire des premiers peuplements humains. Paradoxalement, les vestiges mis au jour jusqu’à présent pour retracer cette préhistoire ancienne sont rares. La raison principale en est la primauté de l’Antiquité qui s’impose par le nombre et la qualité de ses vestiges. L’intérêt pour des périodes plus reculées dont les témoignages sont plus sobres (pierres taillées, ossements d’animaux, quelques fossiles humains...) se voit de fait limité. D’autre part, si pour la période antique, les chantiers sont souvent permanents, peu de fouilles sont conduites à long terme pour le Paléolithique. Le manque de chercheurs en position académique, les contraintes administratives et financières imposées par le ministère de la Culture sont sans doute en cause, conduisant à la multiplication des prospections de surface, plus faciles à mener à bien. Mais, si elles donnent une idée du potentiel archéologique d’une zone, ces opérations ne permettent pas la mise au jour de sites dits stratifiés, c’est-à-dire conservant en place des vestiges préhistoriques qu’il serait alors possible de positionner chronologiquement et d’interpréter en termes de comportements humains.
... Middle and Late Pleistocene archaeological sites are more frequent with examples in western Eurasia found in Turkey, including the Bosporus region in the north and localities in the central and south parts of the region (e.g. Runnels and Ö zdogan, 2001;Kuhn, 2002, see also Ozherelyev et al., 2019 for recent earlier discoveries), Israel, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon (e.g. Richter et al., 2001;Barkai et al., 2003;Frumkin et al., 2011;El Zaatari, 2018). ...
Island colonisation and adaptive responses of humans to newly colonised environments during the Pleistocene is hotly debated in archaeological discourse globally. Investigating these occurrences enables us to better understand the human condition and is a useful proxy of early human cognition. This paper reviews the evidence for Pleistocene maritime knowledge (sea crossings and adaptations) for the island of Cyprus, the palaeoclimatic and palaeonvironmental context for the arrival of early humans on the island, and the existing lithic evidence regarding a potential Pleistocene colonisation. The island of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean is an important nexus for addressing these phenomena. However, its potential in elucidating early human maritime movement and adaptations has remained largely unexplored. The recent discovery of reliable evidence for the Pleistocene exploitation of other islands around the world makes the absence of Pleistocene archaeology from Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean, very puzzling and calls for systematic research on the matter. In doing so, it puts forward the need for focused multidisciplinary methodological approaches and, crucially, disentanglement from persisting outdated narratives regarding the early human past as our best means in progressing the study of Pleistocene Cyprus.
... In detail, this special issue contributes new evidence to the ongoing Early Palaeolithic evidence from the Euphrates River basin in Eastern Turkey is discussed by Ozherelyev et al. (2019). ...
... Ma ( Demir et al., 2008). Several early Paleolithic pre-Acheulian localities were found in the northernmost part of the Arabian Plate in front of the Taurus Ridge (in Göksu Çayı and Eskiköydere that are western tributaries of the Euphrates River) and farther to the north within the Alpine-Himalayan Belt in the Euphrates valley and in the lower reaches of the Murat River ( Ozherelyev et al., 2018). In the Göksu Çayı valley, the early Paleolithic artefacts (Şambayat locality) were found within the conglomerate beds 2 and 9 of the section of terrace IV (h = 150 m) and within the conglomerate bed 6 of the slided fragment IV a of this terrace (h = 108 m) (Fig. 5). ...
... The Eskimalatya and Kovancılar localities belong to the southern inner part of the Alpine-Himalayan Belt (Fig. 6). The poor archaeological collections from the lower and middle parts of the 19 m thick Eskimalatya section and the lowermost gravels of the 115 m thick Lower Pleistocene Palu Formation in the Kovancılar section are similar to the described Şambayat industry and can be also attributed to the Oldowan/Mode 1 Paleolithic ( Ozherelyev et al., 2018). The 1-5 m thick top layer of the Kovancılar section covers the Palu Formation with unconformity and contains not only choppers and flakes similar to previous ones, but also a subtriangular pick similar to handaxes of the "Dauan" type found in South Arabia (Amirkhanov, 2006). ...
... The 1-5 m thick top layer of the Kovancılar section covers the Palu Formation with unconformity and contains not only choppers and flakes similar to previous ones, but also a subtriangular pick similar to handaxes of the "Dauan" type found in South Arabia (Amirkhanov, 2006). This gives a possibility to attribute the finds to early Acheulian ( Ozherelyev et al., 2018). ...
Majority of researchers consider the Arabian-Caucasus region as a corridor for migration of earliest hominins from their African motherland to Eurasia. The paper is devoted to geological position of main stratified localities of the earliest Paleolithic industries in the Arabian-Caucasus region and estimation of environment of creators of these industries. The following early Paleolithic localities are analyzed: ‘Ubeidiya in Israel, middle Orontes River, Halabiyeh-Zalabiyeh area in the Euphrates River valley, and Aïn al Fil in Syria, Dursunlu in Central Turkey, Şambayat, Bostancık, Eskimalatya, and Kovancılar in Eastern Turkey, Karakhach, Muradovo, Agvoric, and Jradzor in NW Armenia, Dmanisi in Southern Georgia, the Azykh cave in Nagornyi Karabakh, Muhkai II in Dagestan, and Kermek in the Taman Peninsula. The evolution of large and small mammals and palynological data on changes of vegetation from the Late Pliocene to the early Middle Pleistocene are studied to determine the age of the earliest Paleolithic industries and climatic conditions of that epoch. Combined analysis of paleontological, paleomagnetic and radio-isotopic data and geological correlation of the sections available for the Halabiyeh-Zalabiyeh, Şambayat, Kovancılar, Karakhach, Dmanisi, Muhkai II, and Kermek localities shows that their age is ranged in time interval ca. 2.0–1.7 Ma. The 1.7–1.6 Ma age of the lowest layers of ‘Ubeidiya with Oldowan-type artefacts probably marks the end of this epoch. Removal of topographic effects of the late Calabrian and younger tectonic uplifts and offsets on major strike-slip faults shows that the topography of the late Gelasian – early Calabrian was much lower and less differentiated and main river systems were more passable than in the present time. The climate of the end of Gelasian was wet and relatively warm, with meadow-steppe and forest-steppe savanna-type vegetation in basins and valleys and coniferous and coniferous–broad-leaved forests in the mountains. Abundance of vegetation was supported by water resources of numerous rivers, lakes, and springs in the intermountain basins and valleys that were controlled partly by fault activity. This stimulated abundance of herbivorous mammals. In spite of relative aridisation at the beginning of Calabrian, vegetation continued to be freely available for herbivores. Hominin dispersal into the region was supported by rich resources of herbivores during the late Gelasian – early Calabrian time.
... The most representative collection was obtained from the Şambayat and Bostancık localities (layer 6 of s 115, layers 2 and 9 of 112, and the lowest Quaternary layer of s 126). Domination of choppers and absence of hand-axes justify that the collection belongs to the Mode 1 (Ozherelyev et al., 2018). In the Olduvai gorge sites, picks were found mainly in the middle and upper parts of the Bed II (sites BK, EF-HR that were qualified as the developed Oldowan and Early Acheulian) (Leakey, 1971, pp. ...
... Trifonov et al. Quaternary International 493 (2018) 137-165 observations, we attribute the described industries to the Oldowan culture (Mode 1) with elements and features of the Early Acheulian (the big flakes, pick-like tool on big flake, and blanks for bifacial tools) (Ozherelyev et al., 2018). The early Paleolithic stone artefacts collected from the stratigraphic sections to the north of the Taurus Ridge, are similar to the mentioned industries, but were produced from the metamorphosed rocks. ...
... They were found in the lower part of layer 17 of s 9 and the lower and middle parts of the Eskimalatya (s 31) section. The finds from layers 1 of s 9 can be attributed as the earliest Acheulian (Ozherelyev et al., 2018). They are very rounded and probably reworked from the lower layers. ...
The Pliocene–Quaternary paleogeography of the Euphrates River valley changed due to sinistral movements on the East-Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ) and the Taurus Ridge rise by movements on the South-Taurus Thrust. Evidence of these changes is based on studies of the Pliocene–Quaternary deposits of the Euphrates River basin to the north and to the south of the Taurus Ridge and the Late Cenozoic deformation including offsets on the EAFZ. Combination of methods was used to date the Pliocene–Quaternary deposits. It includes geological and geomorphic analysis and correlation of sections, determination of remanent magnetization, paleontological and archaeological finds, pollen analysis, and K-Ar dating of volcanic rocks. To the north of the Taurus Ridge, the Late Miocene tectonic depressions were filled by lakes connected by braided streams. In the Early Pliocene, the Euphrates and Murat river valleys formed and the Euphrates flew to the south westwards of its recent position, via the graben-like trough of the Sultan-Suyu River valley and farther to the Erikdere that are recent Euphrates tributaries. The flow was interrupted later because of some desiccation and rise of the Taurus Ridge. The flow recommenced in the end Gelasian – early Calabrian via the Göksu-Çayı and Erikdere valleys consecutively and was interrupted again. At the end of Calabrian (∼0.8–0.9 Ma), the Euphrates waters found the recent way via the Taurus Ridge and the former upstream bottoms of the Euphrates and its tributaries valleys became a vast upper terrace. After this, the Taurus Ridge rose by more than 330 m. Lower terraces were formed because of the tectonic uplift that was more intense to the north of the Taurus Ridge (0.13–0.16 mm/year), than to the south of it (0.1 mm/year). The new-formed segment of the Euphrates valley was offset on the EAFZ at 12 km that gives the slip rate of 13–15 mm/year.
... The most representative collection was obtained from the Şambayat and Bostancık localities (layer 6 of s 115, layers 2 and 9 of 112, and the lowest Quaternary layer of s 126). Domination of choppers and absence of hand-axes justify that the collection belongs to the Mode 1 ( Ozherelyev et al., 2018). In the Olduvai gorge sites, picks were found mainly in the middle and upper parts of the Bed II (sites BK, EF-HR that were qualified as the developed Oldowan and Early Acheulian) (Leakey, 1971, pp. ...
... Typological variability of retouched tools is characteristic for both the Oldowan (Eastern and Northern Africa and Caucasus) and the Early Acheulian (Africa and Near East). Taking into account the above observations, we attribute the described industries to the Oldowan culture (Mode 1) with elements and features of the Early Acheulian (the big flakes, pick-like tool on big flake, and blanks for bifacial tools) ( Ozherelyev et al., 2018). ...
... They were found in the lower part of layer 17 of s 9 and the lower and middle parts of the Eskimalatya (s 31) section. The finds from layers 1 of s 9 can be attributed as the earliest Acheulian ( Ozherelyev et al., 2018). They are very rounded and probably reworked from the lower layers. ...
Paleogeography of the Euphrates River valley changes due to sinistral movements on the
East-Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ) and the Taurus Ridge rise by movements on the South Taurus
Thrust. Evidence of these changes is based on studies of the Pliocene–Quaternary deposits of the
Euphrates River basin to the north and the south of the Taurus Ridge and the Late Cenozoic
deformation. Combination of methods was used to date the Pliocene–Quaternary deposits. They were
geological and geomorphological correlation of sections, determination of remanent magnetic
polarity, paleontological and archaeological finds, palynological analysis, and K-Ar dating of volcanic
rocks. To the north of the Taurus Ridge, the Late Miocene tectonic depressions were filled by lakes
connected by migrated channels. The waters found flow at the Early Pliocene to the south via the
graben-like trough of the recent Sultan-Suyu River valley and farther to the Göksu River. The flow was
interrupted because of some desiccation and rise of the Taurus Ridge, recommenced in the end
Gelasian – early Calabrian and was interrupted again. At the end of Calabrian (~0.8–0.9 Ma), the
Euphrates waters broke via the Taurus Ridge along the recent valley and the former upstream
bottoms of the Euphrates and its tributaries became the upper terrace. After this, the Taurus Ridge
raised more than to 330 m. The lower terraces were formed because of the regional uplift. The uplift
was more intense to the north of the Taurus Ridge, than to the south of it. The new-formed Euphrates
valley was offset on the EAFZ at 12 km that gives the average slip rate 13–15 mm/year. The Early
Paleolithic stone industries were found in the Lower Pleistocene deposits. They are picks, pick-like
tools, one-sided and double-sided choppers. The oldest artefacts were found in the layers that
deposited before the Olduvai subchron, i.e., ~2 Ma. These finds mark a way of migration of the oldest
hominine from Arabia to Caucasus and possibly to the other Eurasia.
Bu çalışmanın konusu, 2016-2019 yılları arasında Orta Anadolu’da konumlanan Sivas iline bağlı Divriği, Kangal, Gürün ve Altınyayla ilçelerinde gerçekleştirilen Pleistosen Dönem yüzey araştırmasının sonuçlarını değerlendirmektir. Çalışmanın amacı, yontmataş buluntular, mağaralar, kaya altı sığınakları ve hammadde kaynaklarını tespit etmek ve bulguları Türkiye Paleolitik stratigrafisine eklemektir. Araştırmada “yaya yüzey araştırması yöntemi” kullanılmıştır. Paleolitik dolguların belirlendiği alanlarda yontmataş buluntular toplamış ve tanımlamalar yapılmıştır. Yontmataş buluntular öncelikle Paleolitik dönemlere göre ayrılmıştır ve yontmataş buluntuların teknolojik-tipolojik tanımlamaları yapılmıştır. Araştırmada 16 paleolitik alan tespit edilmiş ve 236 yontmataş tanımlanmıştır. Paleolitik dolgu içeren mağara ya da kaya altı sığınağı bulunamamış ancak Divriği, Kangal ve Gürün’ün volkanik kayaçlar ve çakmaktaşı açısından çok zengin olduğu kaydedilmiştir. Taş aletlerin teknolojik ve tipolojik analizleri, Divriği’de volkanik kayaçların kullanıldığı, Mod 1 endüstrisine benzerlik gösteren bir Alt Paleolitik kültürünün varlığını; Kangal, Gürün ve Altınyayla’da hammadde olarak çakmaktaşının tercih edildiği Orta Paleolitik ve Geç Üst Paleolitik (belki Epipaleolitik) kültürlerinin mevcut olduğunu göstermiştir. Sivas Orta Paleolitik kültürü, Hatay’dan çok Karain Mağarası’nın Orta Paleolitik buluntuları ile benzerlik göstermektedir. Buluntular in-situ olmadığı için radyometrik tarihlendirme yapılamamıştır. Bu çalışma bölgede yürütülen nadir Paleolitik arkeoloji araştırmalarından biridir ve Pleistosen Dönem’de yüksek rakımlı bölgelerde insanların yaşayabildiğini, Sivas’ın Pleistosen’de de önemli bir geçiş bölgesi olduğunu, bölgede en azından iki farklı insan türünün yaşamış olması gerektiğini ortaya koymuştur.
