Kaletepe Deresi 3 (Turkey): Archaeological evidence for early human settlement in Central Anatolia

Ludovic Slimak, Steven L. Kuhn, Hélène Roche, Damase Mouralis, Hijlke Buitenhuis, Nur Balkan-Atli, Didier Binder, Catherine Kuzucuoǧlu, Hervé Guillou

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

54 Scopus citations

Abstract

Located in the Central Anatolian Volcanic Province, Kaletepe Deresi 3 was discovered in the summer of 2000 and has been under investigation since that time. Volcanic activity in the region generated a number of obsidian intrusions that have attracted humans to the area throughout prehistory. The stratigraphic sequence at Kaletepe Deresi 3, more than 7 m in depth, presents a series of archaeological horizons representing the Lower and Middle Paleolithic. The site contains the longest open-air Paleolithic sequence excavated in Turkey, as well as the first in situ Acheulean industry documented in Anatolia. Tephras in the upper Middle Paleolithic horizons and the rhyolithic bedrock bracket the timespan represented at Kaletepe Deresi 3. The lithic industry at the site illustrates a wide range of technological behaviors and documents changes in raw-material exploitation and artifact manufacture through the Lower and Middle Paleolithic.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)99-111
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of human evolution
Volume54
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2008

Keywords

  • Lithic technology
  • Lower Paleolithic
  • Middle Paleolithic
  • Obsidian
  • Raw material exploitation
  • Technological evolution
  • Tephrochronology
  • Turkey

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Anthropology

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