In excavation studies carried out along the coastlines of Ayvalık, stone tools bearing traces of the past are coming back into consideration. The archaeological finds in the region suggest that this coastal area was an important passageway for early humans between Asia and Europe. Over 100 stone artifacts reveal how this region was an interaction zone during the Paleolithic era and show that migration routes evolved in unexpected directions.
Research reminds us that this epoch, part of the geological period called the Pleistocene, extends from approximately 2.6 million years ago to 12,000 years ago. When sea levels were low in the world covered with glaciers at that time, the surroundings of Ayvalık might have persisted as a landmass filled with islands. This situation leads us to reconsider the migration routes between Europe and Anatolia.
“While there was no route previously more focused on the main migration paths from Africa to Europe, the stone tools here indicate that this region was an important hub for early human communities,” says archaeologist Göknur Karahan from Hacettepe University. The found sieves, hand axes, and Levallois-type flake tools show parallels with the region’s technological heritage, pointing to the possibility that Ayvalık was part of a migration and settlement movement in northeastern Aegean.
This discovery broadens the areas where early human settlements are documented, while prompting more in-depth research in light of environmental conditions and stratigraphic data. As the findings become clearer, a new turning point in human evolution could emerge, and an unknown aspect of migration history may come to light.
