A Middle Paleolithic Settlement from the Northern Levant: The Finds of Üçağızlı II Cave

Abstract

Üçağızlı II Cave, a Middle Paleolithic site on the Mediterranean coast of Hatay Province, Turkey, is partly collapsed and, based on uranium series dates, is dated between 75,000 and 42,000 BP. This paper examined faunal remains and lithic assemblages from layer Bu (B-upper), obtained during the 2020 excavation season. In layer Bu, typical faunal remains of the Mediterranean have been identified, and for the first time, ornamentation samples have been found in mollusk remains. Lithic assemblages are characterized by Levallois industry, and flake-based production has been determined. Additionally, unipolar Levallois core, Mousterian, and Levallois points and sidescrapers dominate the lithic assemblages. These features indicate that stone tools from layer Bu belong to the Levantine Middle Paleolithic culture and resemble “Tabun C type” industry. This situation shows human dispersal to the northern Levant during the Upper Pleistocene.

Keywords

• middle paleolithic
• hatay
• levant
• levallois
• faunal remains