The prehistory of Anatolia stretches from 1.2 million years ago through to the appearance of classical civilisation in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. It is generally regarded as being divided into three ages reflecting the dominant materials used for the making of domestic implements and weapons: Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. The term Copper Age (Chalcolithic) is used to denote the period straddling the stone and Bronze Ages. Anatolia (Turkish: Anadolu), known by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is considered to be the westernmost extent of Western Asia. Geographically it encompasses the central uplands of modern Turkey, from the coastal plain of the Aegean Sea east to the mountains on the Armenian border and from the narrow coast of the Black Sea south to the Taurus mountains and Mediterranean coast. The earliest representations of culture in Anatolia can be found in several archaeological sites located in the central and eastern part of the region. Stone Age artifacts such as animal bones and food fossils were found at Burdur (north of Antalya). Although the origins of some of the earliest peoples are shrouded in mystery, the remnants of Bronze Age civilizations such as the Hattian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Hittite peoples provide us with many examples of the daily lives of its citizens and their trade. After the fall of the Hittites, the new states of Phrygia and Lydia stood strong on the western coast as Greek civilization began to flourish. Only the threat from a distant Persian kingdom prevented them from advancing past their peak of success. The Stone Age is a prehistoric period in which stone was widely used in the manufacture of implements lasting roughly 2.5 million years, from the appearance of the genus Homo about 2.6 mya to between 4,500 and 2,000 BCE with the appearance of metalworking. Paleolithic In 2014 a stone tool was found in the Gediz River that was securely dated to 1.2 million years ago. Evidence of paleolithic (prehistory 500,000 - 10,000 BCE) habitation include the Yarimburgaz Cave (Istanbul), Karain Cave (Antalya), and the Okuzini, Beldibi and Belbasi, Kumbucagi and Kadiini caves in adjacent areas. Examples of paleolithic Humans can be found in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (Ankara), the Archaeological Museum in Antalya and other Turkish institutions. Evidence of fruit and animal bones have been found at Yarimburgaz. The caves of the Mediterranean region contain wall paintings. Original claims (1975) of 250,000-year-old, Middle Pleistocene, homo sapiens footprints at Kula and Karain Caves are now considered erroneous and have been revised to the Late Pleistocene era. Mesolithic Remains of a mesolithic culture in Anatolia can be found along the Mediterranean coast, and also in Thrace and the western Black Sea area. Mesolithic finds have been located in the same caves as the paleolithic artefacts and drawings. Additional findings come from the Sarklimagara cave in Gaziantep, the Baradiz cave (Burdur) together with cemeteries and open air settlements at Sogut Tarlasi, Biris (Bozova) and Urfa. Neolithic Because of its strategic location at the intersection of Asia and Europe, Anatolia has been the center of several civilizations since prehistoric times. Neolithic settlements include Çatalhöyük, Çayönü, Nevali Cori, Aşıklı Höyük, Boncuklu Höyük Hacilar, Göbekli Tepe, Norsuntepe, Kosk and Mersin. Çatalhöyük (Central Turkey) is considered the most advanced of these, and Çayönü in the East the oldest (c. 7250 - 6750 BCE). We have a good idea of the town layout at Çayönü, based on a central square with buildings constructed of stone and mud. Archeological finds include farming tools that suggest both crops and animal husbandry as well as domestication of the dog. Religion is represented by figurines of Cybele, a mother goddess. Hacilar (Western Turkey) followed Çayönü, and has been dated to 7040 BCE. Chalcolithic (Copper) Age Straddling the Neolithic and early Bronze Age, the Chalcolithic era (c. 5500 - 3000 BCE) is defined by the first metal implements made with copper. This age is represented in Anatolia by sites at Hacilar, Beycesultan, Canhasan, Mersin Yumuktepe, Elazig Tepecik, Malatya Degirmentepe, Norsuntepe, and Istanbul Fikirtepe.

• published: 21 Mar 2015
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