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.
