23.03.2023

A new Turolian Fossil Locality of Kayaca (Sw Anatolia, Denizli)

Colloquium by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet İhsan Aytek

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Time: Thursday, 23^rd March 2023 at 1pm (sharp)

Location: Rümelinstraße 23, Room 602 or via Zoom

Speaker: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet İhsan Aytek

Title:  A new Turolian Fossil Locality of Kayaca (Sw Anatolia, Denizli)
 

Abstract:

The timing and route of mammalian dispersals among continents are among the most important issues currently discussed in paleontology. Anatolian peninsula constitutes a migration pathway for faunal groups due to its geographic position being a land-bridge extending between Asia, Africa and Europe. Its special geographic setting enables to host mammalian groups and serves a pathway as a natural land-bridge allowing the migrations for the terrestrial biota throughout the time. To reveal Pleistocene and Miocene mammalian (especially hominin and hominoid) movements in Aegean and thus Anatolia, I conducted intensive fieldwork between 2017-2021 in Denizli and Aydın provincec with a multidisciplinary team. We visited known Pleistocene and Miocene localities and found new ones during this fieldwork. After 5 years, we found hundreds of fossils belong to 39 different mammalian species in 9 different localities. Although most of localities are potential areas for an excavation, one of them -Kayaca Locality- yielded numerous fossils in very good preservation conditions. In 2022, we conducted a preliminary excavation for 15 days, to see the potential of the site. Despite its short duration, a total of 159 identifiable fossils in very good preservation were unearthed. Initial morphological observations on the fossils suggest the existence of 13 different families in the site (Hyenidae, Mustelidae, Mephitidae, Ursidae, Gomphoteridae, Deinotheriidae, Bovidae, Giraffidae, Suidae, Equidae, Rhinocerotidae, Orycteropodidae, Testudinidae). The timing and route of mammalian dispersals among continents are among the most important issues currently discussed in paleontology. 

Our leading aim is to discover new fossils in the highly promising locality in the next seasons of excavation. Reconstructing the paleoenvironmental setting of proposed research area is essential to understand the migration patterns of hominoids and other mammalian groups. Therefore, this excavation is considered as the beginning of a long-term research project of excavation and analysis.
 

We welcome you all to join us in-person or via Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent the day before the colloquium.