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Late Acheulean Lithic Assemblages From Locality 010 at Gürgürbaba Hill (Eastern Anatolia)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2022

İsmail Baykara Open the ORCID record for İsmail Baykara [Opens in a new window] ,
M. Akif Sarıkaya Open the ORCID record for M. Akif Sarıkaya [Opens in a new window] ,
Serkan Şahin Open the ORCID record for Serkan Şahin [Opens in a new window] ,
Berkay Dinçer Open the ORCID record for Berkay Dinçer [Opens in a new window]  and
Esin Ünal Open the ORCID record for Esin Ünal [Opens in a new window]
İsmail Baykara
Affiliation:
Archaeology Department, Gaziantep University, Turkey
M. Akif Sarıkaya
Affiliation:
Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey
Serkan Şahin
Affiliation:
Anthropology Department, Kırşehir Ahi Evran University, Turkey
Berkay Dinçer
Affiliation:
Anthropology Department, İstanbul University, Turkey
Esin Ünal
Affiliation:
Geology Department, Van-Yüzüncü Yıl University, Turkey.
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Abstract

The province of Van in north-eastern Turkey served as a land bridge between Africa and Eurasia during the Palaeolithic. The region is of particular relevance for understanding the movement of hominins between these continents. This study concerns the lithic remains from a locality at Gürgürbaba Hill, named Locality 010, north of the village of Ulupamir (Erciş district). Locality 010 was dated to 311±32 kya by terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides method, which coincides with Marine Isotope Stage 9 (MIS 9), a Middle Pleistocene interglacial period. The assemblage from this site is attributed to the Late Acheulean and resembles that of the southern Caucasus. This similarity indicates that the artefacts from Locality 010 were probably produced by late Lower Palaeolithic technology in a broad sense. These findings suggest local adaptations of late Middle Pleistocene hominins to high plateau environments.

La province de Van dans le nord-est de la Turquie servait de lien entre l'Afrique et l'Eurasie durant le Paléolithique. Cette région est particulièrement importante pour nos connaissances des mouvements des hominidés entre ces deux continents. L'article ci-présent traite du mobilier lithique d'un site sur la colline de Gürgürbaba au nord du village d'Ulupamir dans le district d'Erciş, appelé site 010. Une date de 311 000±32 000 ans, obtenue par méthode de datation par nucléides cosmogénique, correspond au Stade Isotopique de l'Oxygène 9 (SIO 9, MIS 9 en anglais) pendant une période interglaciaire du Pléistocène moyen. Le mobilier provenant du site 010, qui ressemble aux ensembles connus dans le sud du Caucase, est attribué à une phase tardive de l'Acheuléen. Cette ressemblance indiquerait que les artefacts produits sur le site ont probablement été façonnés par des techniques connues à la fin du Paléolithique inférieur. Ces résultats suggèrent que les hominidés se sont adaptés aux conditions des hauts plateaux anatoliens vers la fin du Pléistocène moyen. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

Die Provinz von Van im Nordosten der Türkei bildete eine Landbrücke zwischen Afrika und Eurasien im Paläolithikum. Diese Gegend ist von besonderer Bedeutung für unsere Kenntnisse der Bewegungen von Menschen zwischen diesen Kontinenten. Die Verfasser dieser Studie untersuchen das lithische Material aus der Fundstelle 010 auf Gürgürbaba Tepe, ein Hügel nördlich des Dorfes Ulupamir im Kreis Erciş. Die Fundstelle 010 ergab eine Datierung von 311±32 kya durch Oberflächenexpositionsdatierung, was mit der Sauerstoff-Isotopenstufe 9 (MIS 9, eine interglaziale Stufe des Mittelpleistozäns) übereinstimmt. Das Material aus der Fundstelle gehört zum späten Acheuléen und ist mit Sammlungen aus dem Südkaukasus vergleichbar. Diese Ähnlichkeit weist darauf hin, dass die Artefakte aus der Fundstelle 010 wahrscheinlich mit Techniken des späteren Altpaläolithikums hergestellt worden sind. Diese Ergebnisse deuten auf eine Anpassung der Homininen an die Bedingungen der lokalen Hochebene. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

Keywords

Late Acheuleanobsidianeastern AnatoliaGürgürbaba Hillhuman migrationlandscape adaptationAcheuléen tardifobsidienneAnatolie orientaleGürgürbaba Tepemigration humaineadaptation au paysagespätes AcheuléenObsidianOstanatolienGürgürbaba Tepemenschliche MigrationAnpassung an die Landschaft
Type
Article
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 25 , Issue 3 , August 2022 , pp. 289 - 308
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Association of Archaeologists

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