New research reveals a once-submerged land bridge along Turkey's Ayvalık coast that may have enabled early humans to migrate from Anatolia to Europe. Archaeologists discovered 138 Paleolithic tools across 10 sites, challenging traditional theories of human dispersal. The findings, published in the Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, suggest the region served as a key passageway during the Ice Age.
In a groundbreaking study, a team of Turkish archaeologists, led by an all-female group including Dr. Göknur Karahan from Hacettepe University, conducted a two-week survey in June 2022 along the Ayvalık coast in the northeastern Aegean. They uncovered 138 stone tools spread across 10 sites within a 200 km² area, providing the first evidence of Paleolithic activity in the region.
During the Pleistocene era, when sea levels dropped more than 100 meters due to the Ice Age, the modern islands and peninsulas of Ayvalık formed a single stretch of land, creating a natural bridge linking Anatolia to Europe. The artifacts, including Levallois-style flake tools, handaxes, and cleavers associated with the Middle Paleolithic Mousterian tradition, indicate human presence and technological traditions shared across Africa, Asia, and Europe.
"Our archaeological discovery has unveiled that this now-idyllic region once potentially offered a vital land bridge for human movement during the Pleistocene era -- when sea levels dropped and the now-submerged landscape was briefly exposed," Dr. Karahan explained. She described the initial finds as "emotional and inspiring," noting that holding the tools was an unforgettable moment for the team.
Co-author Professor Kadriye Özçelik from Ankara University added, "These paleogeographic reconstructions underscore the importance of the region for understanding hominin dispersals across the northeastern Aegean during the Pleistocene."
The discovery challenges long-held beliefs that early Homo sapiens entered Europe primarily through the Balkans and Levant. Instead, it positions Ayvalık as a potential migration corridor, offering new insights into human adaptation, mobility, and technological variability. The team, which also includes Dr. Hande Bulut from Düzce University, calls for future multidisciplinary research, including excavations and dating, to further explore the site's temporal depth.
Despite challenges like muddy terrains and deep sediments, the findings highlight Ayvalık's role as a long-term hominin habitat and a strategic crossroads in early human dispersals.