18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Life in Trabzon Started in This Cave 13,000 Years Ago

Karadeniz Technical University Archeology Department academicians found that life in Trabzon started 13,000 years ago in the Koskarlı Cave. Koskarlı cave is located in Düzköy district of Trabzon.

A new discovery in a cave in the northern province of Trabzon shows that there is a human settlement in the area similar to the time when people lived in Göbeklitepe in the southeast, which is one of the oldest settlements in the world.

Archaeologists shared their findings with the media on Thursday, including stone tools dating back to the 10th century BC. The original tools made of obsidian and flint and steel were found in a cave in Koskarlı, a village near Düzköy in Trabzon. Excavation work has been going on in the area since 2018, and more evidence of early settlements in the area will continue to be unearthed. Archaeologists say that a more important aspect of this discovery is that certain tools originated in other parts of today’s Turkey, which shows that Anatolia was highly mobile in the early days.

A view of tools found at the site, in Trabzon, northern Turkey,
A view of tools found at the site, in Trabzon, northern Turkey. (IHA PHOTO)

Hülya Çalışkan Akgül and Serkan Demirel, two researchers from the Archaeology Department of Karadeniz Technical University (KTÜ) in Trabzon, led the excavation of the primitive historical era in the area. So far, their work has helped to discover 103 types of stone tools. Archaeologists sent 7 tools to Professor Tristan Carter of McMaster University in Canada. He is an important contributor to the study, and his work focuses on Middle Eastern prehistory and obsidian research. Carter’s analysis shows that five of the tools used for “cutting” come from the Cappadocia region of central Turkey today, and the other two may come from areas covering present-day Georgia (approximately 500 kilometers (310 miles)). Trabzon) and Armenia.

Flint and obsidian finds from the Koskarlı cave
Flint and obsidian find it from the Koskarlı cave.

Akgül says it is the first cave of its kind in Trabzon whose finds date back to such an early period. “The implements we found are from an era where people were still hunter-gatherers but improved their skills in that field. The implements were more finely crafted compared to other tools found elsewhere from the same period,” she said. She noted that Trabzon had no obsidian source and it was likely that tools other than the seven analyzed previously, were brought from another place. “It means that people were moving between places though we are not certain yet about the direction of these movements. Our findings also mean that Trabzon’s history is older than we thought,” she added.

Little is known about Trabzon before the 7th century BC when the colonies were founded by Ionians who originally settled in present-day western Turkey. The province, which is a central location in the Black Sea region, was subject to constant invasions in those early ages.

Related Articles

Brief history and 9 unknowns of Hagia Sophia

11 August 2021

11 August 2021

The Great Church was the name given to Hagia Sophia when it was initially constructed (Megale Ekklesia). However, the Church...

Türkiye’s Neolithic Settlement Çayönü Hill Discovered New Tombs from Early Bronze Age

4 September 2023

4 September 2023

Archaeologists have unearthed 5 more tombs dating to the Early Bronze Age during the recent excavations on Çayönü Hill in...

Meaning of Agora Gate Found in Turkey’s Ancient City of Aizanoi

8 June 2021

8 June 2021

The good news continues to come from the ancient city of Aizanoi, located in Çavdarhisar district, 50 km from Kütahya....

Traces of 9300-year-old settlement unearthed near Volcanic Cappadocia in central Turkey

28 August 2022

28 August 2022

During the most recent excavations at Sırçalıtepe Mound (Sırçalıtepe Höyük) in Türkiye’s central Niğde province, archaeologists discovered traces of a...

Archaeologists discover Stargazer idol fragment in Turkey’s In the ancient city of Beçin

15 December 2021

15 December 2021

During archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Beçin in the Milas district of southern Turkey’s Muğla, the head of...

Remains of 2 houses belonging to the founding period of the city were unearthed in the ancient city of Hierapolis

5 November 2021

5 November 2021

During this year’s excavations in the ancient city of Hierapolis-Pamukkale in Turkey’s Aegean province Denizli, the remains of two houses...

“Urartian Royal garbage dump” was found during excavations at Ayanis Castle

3 September 2022

3 September 2022

During the excavations carried out in the Ayanis Castle, which was built by the Urartian King Rusa II on the...

Academics Uncover Ancient Roman Physicians Galen’s Pharmacy Legacy in İzmir

27 February 2024

27 February 2024

As a part of research on medicinal plants in Bergama, İzmir’s historic district where Galen (129 AD -200 AD) once...

Artvin Demirkapı/Arılı rock paintings give information about Anatolian Bronze Age Nomadic

14 December 2021

14 December 2021

Rock paintings are material cultural assets that provide us with unique information about the socio-cultural structure, religious beliefs, and rituals,...

1400-year-old artifacts discovered in the ancient city of Uzuncaburç (Diocaesarea)

26 January 2022

26 January 2022

During the excavations carried out in a tower in the ancient city of Uzuncaburç (Diocaesarea) in Mersin province in the...

First in Anatolian Archaeology, a 2,600-year-old Sacred Room and Stone Symbolizing the Goddess Kubaba Discovered at Oluz Höyük

29 November 2024

29 November 2024

Archaeologists have discovered a sacred room and stone from the Phrygian period, dating back 2,600 years, during excavations at the...

Göbeklitepe Monolith will be Exhibited in the United Nations

15 May 2021

15 May 2021

A copy of one of the famous ruins of Göbeklitepe, known as the oldest temple in the world, will be...

Hidden past of Ani ruins in eastern Turkey to be uncovered by excavations

31 May 2021

31 May 2021

Archaeological excavations will reveal the historical mystery behind the ruins of Ani on the present-day Turkey-Armenia border. The Ani archaeological...

Are Istanbul’s First Hosts Really Megarians?

14 February 2021

14 February 2021

When it comes to the first establishment of Istanbul, the first to come to mind are the stories of Megarians...

Zeus Temple’s entrance was found in western Turkey’s Aizanoi Ancient City

31 July 2021

31 July 2021

During recent digs, the monumental entrance gate of the Zeus Temple sanctuary in the ancient city of Aizanoi, located in...