ISSN: 0041-4255
e-ISSN: 2791-6472

Erksin Güleç

Keywords: Southern Anatolia, Three Fossils, Karain Cave, Kadıpınarı Cave, Alanya, Antalya, Anatolian Civilization Museum, Ankara

Contributions made by anthropology and ecological sciences to cultural knowledge indicate that Anatolia has been one of the cradles of civilizations since the Paleolithic Era. However, ancient fossils of the Anatolian man are quite scarce. In this article, the results of a paleoanthropological investigation on three skulls stored at the Ancient Anatolian Civilization Museum in Ankara are reported. These skulls were found by Prof. Dr. İ. Kılıç Kökten in the Karain Cave in Antalya, no. 1 (155-1-73) and Kadıpınarı Cave in Alanya, no. 2(155-2-73) and no. 3 (155-3-73). Remains were analyzed using standart craniometric techniques. The age of the skulls was determined at the Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit Laboratory of Oxford University. Results obtained from the age determination of the fossils belonging to the individuals found at Karain and Kadıpınarı indicate that they are not from the same epoch. The age of the Karain skull could not be determined because of the lack of collagen in the skull; but this deficit and the morphological su-ucture of the skull lead us to speculate that this individual might have lived during the Upper Paleolithic or Mesolithic Era. The same problem exists in one of the Kadıpınarı Cave skulls, but laboratory age determination of the other fossil (155-2-73) indicates that it is from 4910 B.C. T- 70. Because these two skulls were found in the same part of the cave, as well as due to morphological similarities, we think that the individuals were contemporary. The reason for not being able to determine the age of the third individual (155-3-73) might be due to not being able to take sufficient samples, ecological reasons, or problems involved in the technique used.

The right half of skull no. 1 is covered with hardened sand and could not be thoroughly cleaned (in order to protect its original appearance for exhibition). Taking into account the protruding, developed eyebrow ridges and glabella, as well as other morphological characteristics, we can conclude that this skull belongs to a male. These prognatism and other characteristics show that this individual has more primitive characteristics than do the other two skulls. Based on the sutural closure, the age is estimated to be 40- 60 years.

In general, the no. 2 fossil has a gracile appearance. There is a great similarity in this regard with the third individual. The inconspicuousness of the brow arches and glabellae, and strong sites of muscle insertion tells us that these two (no. 2 and no. 3) individuals were female. As a result of sutural age determination, it was also learned that these were young adults. From a general morphological viewpoint, these two skulls are typical examples of the delicate Mediterranean race. As a result of biometric analysis, it was also observed that the Karain fossil has similar measurement values to the Mesolithic, and Upper Paleolithic people. The profile view of the skeleton also support this conclusion.

Further examination of fossil no. 1 indicates that this individual shows morphometric similarities to Mesolithic people of France, and Dar-es-Sokan and Quafzeh.

The findings from skulls no. 2 and 3 fossils, when compared with their contemporary Anatolian skeletal populations, have the similar biometric values. It was found that these skulls show similarities primarily to Yümüktepe, and then respectively to Troya and Şeyh Höyük skeletons.

When compared with coastal and inland populations of the peninsula, these skulls showed closed biometric affinity with the forrner in a number of dimensions. On the other hand, the population from Kültepe, which was a transit and business center, occurs between these two groups.

References

  • ANGEL, J.L. 1951 Troy. The Human Remains. Supplementary Monograph 1, Meriden: Princeton Univ.
  • ----- ;Press. 1968 "Human remains at Karataş." American journal of - Archaeology, 72:258-263.
  • BOSTANCI, E.Y. 1963 "Human fossil remains in Beldibi and Belbaşı rock shelters on the Mediterranean coast of Anatolia." Antropoloji, 1:17-36.
  • ----- :1971 "Kanal Mağarası'nda Levalloise-Mousterian Seviyede Keşfedilen Bir Üst Süt Canine ile Alt Aurignacien Seviyede Bulunan Bir Mandibulae Molar Hakkında İnceleme." (Türkçeİngilizce) Antropoloji, 5:45-82.
  • ----- : 1973 "Homo sapiens çevlikiensis in the Canal and Big caves of - Çevlik near Samandağ of the province of Antakya on the Mediterranean coast of Anatolia." Antropoloji, 6:29-56.
  • COMAS, J. 1960 Manual of Physical Anthropology. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas.
  • ÇINER, R. 1969 "İlıca-Ayaş İskelet Kalıntıları= Tetkiki." Antropoloji, 4:195- 237.
  • GENET-VARCIN, E. 1969 A la Recherche du Primate. Anc&re de l'Homme. Paris: Boubee. - : 1979 Les Hommes Fossiles. Paris: Societe Nouvelle des Editions Boubee.
  • GÜLEÇ, E "Hatay Üçağızlı Mağara'da Bulunan Üst Paleolitik (Aurignacien) Döneme Ait Küçük Azı Dişi." Bozkurt Güvenç'e Armağan. T.C. Kültür Bakanlığı Yayınları (Baskıda).
  • HOWELLS, W. 1973 Cranial Variation in Man. A Study by Multivariate Analysis of Patterns of Difference Among Recent Human Populations. Harvard Univ. Printing Office.
  • KANSU, Ş.A. 1945 "Türk Tarih Kurumu Alaca-Höyük Kazılarında (1936- 1944) Bakırçağı Yerleşme Katlarından Çı karılan iskeletlerin Antropolojik incelenmesi." Belleten, 9:411-422.
  • ----- : 1946 "Alacahöyük (1943-1945) Kazılarında Çıkarılan Kalkolitik, Bakır ve Tunç Çağlarına Ait Halkın Antropolojisi." (Türkçe- Fransızca) Belleten, 10:539-555.
  • KANSU, Ş.A. VE ATASAYAN, M. 1939 "Afyonkarahisar Kusura Hafriyatında Meydana Çıkarılan Bakırçağı ve Eti Devirlerine Ait İskeletler Üzerine Tetkikler." Türk Antropoloji Mecmuası, 19-22: 272-276.
  • KANSU, Ş.A. VE TUNAKAN, S. 1948 "Eti, Frik ve Klasik Devir iskeletlerinin Antropolojik incelenmesi." Belleten, 12:759-774.
  • KNUSSMANN, R. 1980 Vergleichende Biologie des Menschen. Stutgart: Güstav Fischer Verlag.
  • KÖKTEN, İ.K. 1955 "Antalya'da Karain Mağarasında Yapı lan Prehistorya Araştırmalarına Toplu Bir Bakış." Belleten, 19:271-283.
  • ----- : 1959 "Tarsus-Antalya Arası Sahil Şeriti Üzerinde ve Antalya Bölgesinde Yapılan Tarihöncesi Araştırmaları Hakkında." Türk Arkeoloji Dergisi, 8:10-16.
  • ----- : 1963 "Die Stellung von Karain Innerhalb der Türkischen - Vorgeschichte." Anatolia, 7:59-86.
  • MARTIN, R. VE SALLER, K. 1957 Lehrbuch der Anthropologie. (Band I) Stutgart: Güstav Fischer Verlag.
  • ----- : 1959 Lehrbuch der Anthropohlogie. (Band II) Stutgart: Güstav Fischer Verlag.
  • MC BREARTY, S. 1990 "The origin of modern humans." Man (n.s.), 25:129- 143.
  • OLIVER, G. 1969 Practical Anthropology. (İng. çev.: M.A. MacConaill) Springfield: Charles C. Thomas.
  • ----- : 1971 Morphologie et Types Humains. Paris: Vigot Freres.
  • ÖZBEK, M. 1984 "Etude anthropologique des restes humains de Hayaz Höyük." Anatolica, 11:155-169.
  • ŞENYÜREK, M.S. 1941 "Anadolu Bakır Çağı ve Eti Sekenesinin Kraniyolojik Tetkiki." Belleten, 5:219-253.
  • ----- : 1946 "Maşat Höyük Kazısından Çıkarılan Kafataslarının Tetkiki." Belleten, 10:231-242.
  • ----- : 1949a "Truva Civarında Kumtepe'de Bulunmuş Olan İskeletlere Dair Bir Not." Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi, 7:295-304.
  • ----- : 1949b "Türk Tarih Kurumu Adına Yapılan Karain Kazısında Bulunan İki Fosil Dişe Ait Ön Kısa Rapor." (Türkçe-İngilizce) Belleten, 13:833-836.
  • ----- : 1950 "Büyük Güllücek'de Bulunan Kalkolitik Çağa Ait Bir Muharibin İskeletiıı n Tetkiki." Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi, 8:269-310.
  • ----- : 1951a "A note on the human skeletons in the Alacahöyük Museum." Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Deıgisi, 9:44-61.
  • ----- : 1951b "Şeyh Höyük iskeletleri." Belleten, 15:431-445.
  • ----- : 1952 "A study of the human skeletons from Kültepe excavated under the auspices of the Turkish Historical Society." Belleten,16:323-343.
  • ----- 1954 "A note on the skulls of Chalcolithic Age from Yümüktepe." Belleten, 18:1-25.
  • ŞENYÜREK, M.S. VE BOSTANCI, E.Y. 1956 "The excavation of a cave near the village of Mağracık in the vilayat of Hatay." Anatolia, 1:81-85.
  • ŞENYÜREK, M.S. VE TUNAKAN, S. 1946 "Alaca-Höyük 1943-1945 Kazılarından Çıkarılan Kalkolitik, Bakır ve Tunç Çağlarına Ait Halkın Antropolojisi." Belleten, 10:539-555.
  • TUNAKAN, S. 1965 "Türk Tarih Kurumu Adına, 1964 Yazında, Alacahöyük'te Yapılan Kazıda Çı karılan İki Eski Bronz Çağı iskeletinin incelenmesi." Belleten, 29:571-584.
  • WITWER-BACKOFEN, U. 1987 "Anthropological study of the skeleton material from Lidar." V. Araştırma Sonuçları Toplantısı-2, Ankara, 6-10 Nisan 1987, ss. 191-201.
  • YALÇINKAYA, I. 1986 "1985 Yı lı Karain Kazı ları." XII. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı-1, Ankara, 26-30 Mayıs 1986, ss. 21-37.
  • ----- 1989 Alt ve Orta Paleolitik Yontmataş Endüstrileri Biçimsel Tipolojisi ve Karain Mağ-arası. T.T.K. Yay. VI-29.

Şekil ve Tablolar