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| image Credit : Hülya Çalışkan Akgül et al., Cambridge University Press/Antiquity |
The Discovery
Excavations at Koskarlı Cave revealed an intact occupation layer containing stone tools, evidence of a fireplace and personal ornaments dating to roughly 12,900 to 12,000 years ago, according to a new study published in the journal Antiquity. The findings provide the first systematic archaeological evidence of Epipaleolithic hunter-gatherers living in this particular corner of northeastern Anatolia.
Koskarlı Cave sits in the Söğütlü Valley, about 25 miles south of Trabzon and more than 3,300 feet above sea level. The site was first identified in 2019, with systematic excavations beginning in 2024 under the joint direction of the Trabzon Museum and Karadeniz Technical University.
What Archaeologists Found
During that first excavation season, archaeologists dug into several areas in and around the cave. An upper layer contained a mixture of artefacts from different prehistoric periods, but the layer found beneath it told a far clearer and more coherent story. There, researchers uncovered a largely undisturbed occupation layer measuring roughly 8 to 16 inches thick, containing ash, carbonised material, burned sediment and pieces of flint altered by heat, all pointing to a fireplace that had once been used by the cave's prehistoric occupants.
Radiocarbon dating of bone and charcoal recovered from this layer placed the occupation near the end of the thirteenth millennium BC, providing a securely dated anchor point for the site's chronology. The hunter-gatherers also left behind a varied assortment of tools. Archaeologists recovered pieces made from colourful flint, obsidian and other stone, including blades, scrapers, points and small crescent-shaped tools known as lunates.
Other finds offered a more personal glimpse into the identities and practices of the cave's occupants. A grooved piece of antler and a deliberately pierced animal tooth indicate that the hunter-gatherers made and wore personal adornments. Animal remains and mollusc shells were also recovered from the site, though researchers note that further analysis will be needed to determine exactly which species these remains represent.
Historical Background
The discoveries at Koskarlı are especially significant because archaeological research into this period in Anatolia has traditionally concentrated much farther south, leaving the eastern Black Sea region comparatively unexplored for evidence of Epipaleolithic hunter-gatherer activity. The researchers describe Koskarlı as offering a "new reference point" for understanding the lives of Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers and their connections with surrounding regions, effectively filling a significant geographical gap in the existing archaeological record of the period.
Positioned between Anatolia and the Caucasus, Koskarlı's location carries particular significance for understanding how prehistoric communities may have moved through and interacted across this wider region during the closing millennia of the Pleistocene.
Scientific Analysis
Some of the recovered stone tools resemble artefacts previously found elsewhere in Anatolia, the Levant and the Caucasus. With Koskarlı positioned geographically between these established regions, researchers say the discovery could help them investigate how prehistoric communities moved through the area and shared technologies with one another during the Epipaleolithic period, a time of considerable cultural and technological exchange across the wider Near East and Caucasus region.
The combination of dated fireplace evidence, a diverse stone tool assemblage, and personal ornamentation gives researchers an unusually well-rounded body of evidence from a single, securely stratified occupation layer, an outcome that is relatively rare for sites of this age and type.
Why This Discovery Matters
By establishing the first systematic evidence of Epipaleolithic occupation in the eastern Black Sea region, Koskarlı significantly expands the known geographical range of hunter-gatherer activity during this period in Anatolia. This is particularly valuable given how heavily previous research attention had been concentrated further south, meaning the site helps correct a notable imbalance in regional archaeological knowledge.
The presence of personal ornaments such as the pierced animal tooth and grooved antler piece also offers a rare and evocative glimpse into the symbolic and social dimensions of life for these hunter-gatherer communities, moving beyond a purely functional understanding of tool use toward questions of identity, adornment and self-expression at the end of the last Ice Age.
What's Next?
Excavations at Koskarlı Cave are ongoing, with researchers planning additional studies of the animal and plant remains recovered at the site. They hope this further work will ultimately reveal more about what these hunter-gatherers ate, how they adapted to their surrounding environment, and how they interacted with other prehistoric communities across the wider Anatolian and Caucasus region.
Continued excavation is also expected to help clarify the relationship between the tool assemblage found at Koskarlı and comparable material from Anatolia, the Levant and the Caucasus, potentially offering further insight into the movement of people and technologies across this broader geographical zone during the Epipaleolithic period.
Conclusion
The discoveries at Koskarlı Cave offer a remarkable and unusually detailed window into the lives of hunter-gatherers who occupied this corner of northeastern Turkey nearly 13,000 years ago. From the ash and charcoal of an ancient fireplace to a carefully pierced animal tooth worn as personal adornment, these finds bring a rare human intimacy to the archaeological record of the Late Pleistocene, while firmly establishing the eastern Black Sea region as an important new reference point for understanding hunter-gatherer life and connectivity across ancient Anatolia.
FAQ
Q: What was discovered at Koskarlı Cave? A: Archaeologists uncovered an intact occupation layer containing stone tools, evidence of a fireplace and personal ornaments, including a pierced animal tooth, dating to roughly 12,900 to 12,000 years ago.
Q: Where is Koskarlı Cave located? A: It is located in the Söğütlü Valley, about 25 miles south of Trabzon in northeastern Turkey, at more than 3,300 feet above sea level.
Q: Why is this discovery significant? A: It provides the first systematic archaeological evidence of Epipaleolithic hunter-gatherer occupation in the eastern Black Sea region, an area previously underrepresented in research on this period.
Q: What tools were found at the site? A: Archaeologists recovered blades, scrapers, points and small crescent-shaped tools called lunates, made from colourful flint, obsidian and other stone.
Q: Who is leading the excavation? A: The excavation is jointly directed by the Trabzon Museum and Karadeniz Technical University, with findings published in the journal Antiquity.
