Ancient Humans May Have Migrated From Anatolia to Europe on a Long-Lost Land Bridge
A new study in the Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology showed that humans occupied several archaeological sites in Ayvalık, an area of islands and peninsulas on the Aegean coast of Türkiye, many years ago.
According to study authors, the results could complicate the history of human migration in Europe. In fact, while archaeologists have traditionally thought that humans have moved from Anatolia to Southern Europe, the team suggests that the occupants of the region could have benefited from a continuous mass that connected Türkiye and Greece in the era of the Pleistocene, moving from Anatolia to Eastern Europe, through the sea of Cléistocene.
“Our archaeological discovery revealed that this […] The region once offered a vital terrestrial bridge for the human movement at the time of the Pleistocene, “said Göknur Karahan, study author and archaeologist at Hacettepe University in Türkiye, according to a press release.” These results mark Ayvalık as a new potential border in the history of human evolution, […] Opening of a new possibility on how the first humans were able to enter Europe. »»
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Sea level and land mass
Today, the Aegean Sea separates Türkiye and Greece, although this is not always the case. In some parts of the Pleistocene, there are approximately 2.58 to 0.012 million years, the sea level was lower, sometimes about 330 feet less than they are today. Throughout these periods, Ayvalık was not an area of the islands and peninsulas; Instead, it was a continuous terrestrial mass, connecting Türkiye to the east and in Greece to the west.
“In all these periods,” said Kadriye Özçelik, another study author and archaeologist at the University of Ankara, according to the press release, “the current islands and the Ayvalık peninsulas would have formed interior areas in a large terrestrial environment.”
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Establish a presence of the Pleistocene
Hoping to know more about the region and its history, the team went to Ayvalık in June 2022, in search of archaeological materials. Although the active coasts of the region have certainly reduced the preservation of artifacts, the team has always found 138 objects from 10 sites, covering an area of around 80 square miles.
The artifacts themselves included Flakes of Lévallois, Handax and air conditioning from a handful of Paleolithic traditions. Levallois flakes, in particular, have shown impressive sophistication, connecting the site to the Mousterians of the Middle Paleolithic – a tradition of manufacturing tools linked to Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.
“These great cutting tools are among the most emblematic artefacts in the Paleolithic,” Karahan said in the press release. “The presence of these objects in Ayvalık is particularly important because they provide direct proof that the region was part of wider technological traditions shared through Africa, Asia and Europe.”
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Question the history of human migration
More importantly, the authors of the study say that the handle of the artifacts along the coasts of Ayvalık today suggests that humans could have taken advantage of the Aegean land mass of the Pleistocene, perhaps using it for migration in Europe.
“The results have confirmed that Ayvalık – which had never been studied before for its Paleolithic potential – contains vital traces of early human activity,” Karahan said in the press release. “The results paint a living table of early human adaptation, innovation and mobility along the Aegean Sea.”
During the field investigation in Ayvalık. From left to right, Göknur, Kadriye and Hande
(Image credit: Göknur, Kadriye and Hande)
According to the team, artifacts and additional analyzes could clarify the type, age and geographic context of discoveries and could contribute additional clues to the human movement around the Aegean Sea.
“In the end, the results underline the potential of Ayvalık as a long -term homine haunist,” added Haine Bulut, another study author and archaeologist at Düzce University, according to the press release. “Although preliminary, the current results underline the potential of the region to contribute to broader debates on Aegean connectivity and technological evolution.”
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