A study published in the Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology places Turkey's Aegean shore at the center of a debate about how early humans reached continental Europe. Led by Göknur Karahan of Hacettepe University, an all-female survey team documented 138 Paleolithic stone tools at 10 sites across roughly 200 km² during a two-week surface survey in June 2022.
“While all the artifacts together offer information about early human presence, preferences in raw materials, and technological variability, it feels like we are adding an entirely new page to the story of human dispersal,” said Karahan.
During the Pleistocene Ice Age, sea levels stood about 100 meters lower than today, and the region's present-day peninsulas and islands likely formed part of a land bridge linking Anatolia with southeastern Europe. According to Phys.org, these conditions allowed hominins to move westward without crossing open water. The discovery challenges the long-held view that early Homo sapiens entered Europe only through the Levant and the Balkans.
Hande Bulut of Düzce University, a co-author of the paper, stated that the results underlined the region’s potential as a long-term hominin habitat, according to Discover Magazine. Among the recovered objects were hand axes, cleavers, choppers, and Levallois flakes—tools associated with the Middle Paleolithic Mousterian tradition and often linked to Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens. “These large cutting tools are among the most iconic artifacts of the Paleolithic,” said Karahan, according to Phys.org. She noted that their presence provided direct evidence that Turkey’s Ayvalik district belonged to wider technological traditions shared across Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Kadriye Özçelik, another co-author, pointed out that the former land bridge formed interior zones within an expansive terrestrial environment, according to Phys.org. Fieldwork was hindered by muddy ground that obscured many artifacts, but the team still located high-quality flint and chalcedony sources. “Holding these objects—after walking across landscapes where no one had ever documented Paleolithic remains before—was unforgettable,” Karahan recalled, according to Phys.org.
Much of the ancient land bridge now lies underwater, and coastal erosion complicates preservation. The authors urged future research that includes absolute dating, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and underwater exploration of the Aegean seabed. Additional excavation work is planned around Ayvalık, Popular Science reported.
The survey’s discovery of Levallois technology and a diversified toolkit suggested that early populations adapted, innovated, and moved along the Aegean corridor. “The findings paint a vivid picture of early human adaptation, innovation, and mobility along the Aegean,” Karahan said.
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