Erksin Güleç

The early Upper Paleolithic occupations at Üçağızlı Cave (Hatay, Turkey)

This paper summarizes results from excavations at Uçağizli Cave (Hatay, Turkey) between 1999 and 2002 and 2005. This collapsed karstic chamber contains a sequence of early Upper Paleolithic deposits that span an interval between roughly 29,000 and 41,000 (uncalibrated) radiocarbon years BP. Lithic assemblages can be assigned to two major chronostratigraphic units. The earliest assemblages correspond with the Initial Upper Paleolithic, whereas the most recent ones fit within the definition of the Ahmarian. Substantial assemblages of stone tools, vertebrate faunal remains, ornaments, osseous artifacts, and other cultural materials provide an unusually varied picture of human behavior during the earliest phases of the Upper Paleolithic in the northern Levant. The sequence at Uçağizli Cave documents the technological transition between Initial Upper Paleolithic and Ahmarian, with a high degree of continuity in foraging and technological activities. The sequence also documents major shifts in occupational intensity and mobility.

Restoration of the type and palate of Ankarapithecus meteai: Taxonomic and phylogenetic implications

A small number of large hominoid specimens are known from the late Miocene of Turkey. (This paper focuses on the two specimens known until 1996. New fossils described by Alpagut et al. ([1996] Nature 382:349-351) are briefly discussed in this paper as well.) Among these, a fragmentary mandible is the type specimen of Ankarapithecus meteai. Another specimen, a partial face, is from the same taxon. Based on the morphology of this face, Ankarapithecus meteai was synonymized with Sivapithecus (Andrews and Tekkaya [1980], Paleontology 23:85-95). The facial specimen was recently restored by the authors, exposing much anatomy that had previously been obscured. The new anatomical details reveal many important differences from Sivapithecus and justify a revision of the nomen Ankarapithecus. Ankarapithecus was a large hominid (great apes and humans) in the clade that also includes Sivapithecus and Pongo. Sivapithecus and Pongo share derived characters not found in Ankarapithecus, which is thus the sister clade to the Sivapithecus-Pongo clade. While the results of this analysis support the sister relationship of Sivapithecus and Pongo, there is some uncertainty regarding paleobiogeographic and taxonomic relationships to the large hominids from the Siwaliks. An Ankarapithecus-like taxon may have been ancestral to Sivapithecus, or an early Siwalik (Chinji formation) taxon, which predates both Sivapithecus sensu stricto and Ankarapithecus, may be ancestral to both.

The Lower Pleistocene lithic assemblage from Dursunlu (Konya), central Anatolia, Turkey

Homo erectus leaving Africa a million years ago ought to have passed through the area that is now Turkey, and the authors report a first certain sighting of human activity of this date in a lignite quarry near Konya. The remains of rhino, hippo and horse were found with 135 modified quartz implements in layers dated by palaeomagnetic reversal to between 0.78 and 0.99 million years ago.

Early upper paleolithic shell beads at Üçağızlı Cave I (Turkey): technology and the socioeconomic context of ornament life-histories.

Ten early Upper Paleolithic layers in Üçağızlı Cave I (41-29 uncalibrated ky BP) on the Hatay coast of southern Turkey preserve a rich and varied record of early Upper Paleolithic life, including the production and use of large numbers of shell ornaments. This study examines shell bead production, use, and discard in relation to site function and the diversity of on-site human activities. Four factors are expected to contribute to variation in the ornament assemblages, one environmental and three behavioral. The behavioral factors relate to winnowing for quality as a function of distance from the raw material source, changes in the size of user groups, and symbol standardization. The accumulation rates for shell beads, bones, and stone tools paralleled one another through time, indicating that ornament discard followed the pulse of daily life at this site. All stages of manufacture and use are well represented in each assemblage, and half or more of the ornaments show evidence of extended use. Changes in the local marine environment do not explain much of the variation in the assemblages, pointing instead to behavioral causes. The richness of shell types that were collected as raw material correlates to greater exploitation of edible marine shellfish and greater occupation intensity. Much of this variation in the ornament raw material was eliminated during the manufacture stage, almost certainly reflecting the influence of cultural norms. A focus on basket-shaped shells changed remarkably little over thousands of years, despite significant changes in other domains of technology. This last result suggests that beads were the most irreducible and conservative elements of more complex design traditions.

Bovidae (Mammalia: Artiodactyla) from the late Miocene of Sivas, Turkey

Abstract Craniodental remains of fossil bovids from the late Miocene İncesu Formation, from sites near the city of Sivas, Turkey, are described. The bovid remains represent at least five species: Gazella cf. G. capricornis, Prostrepsiceros houtumschindleri syridisi, cf. Protoryx sp., Tethytragus cf. T. koehlerae, and Tragoportax cf. T. amalthea. The Sivas fossil bovid assemblage is fairly typical for the Greco-Iranian-Afghan paleobiological province, and compares well with the classic Turolian sites of Samos, Pikermi, and Maragheh. Biochronological correlations using these fossil bovids suggest the Sivas fossil assemblage is MN11 or early MN12 in age, or somewhere between 9–7 Ma. The presence of Tethytragus at Sivas represents only the second occurrence of this typically mid-Miocene (MN5–8) taxon from the late Miocene. Paleoecological attributes of the Sivas fossil bovids suggest local paleoenvironments at Sivas comprised shrubland to woodland biomes, perhaps devoid of expansive grasslands or dense forests. The presence/absence and relative abundances of bovid taxa within and among different Greek and Anatolian late Miocene fossil sites is compared and contrasted by way of correspondence analysis. Sivas plots among a number of sites all characterized by high proportions of Gazella, Tragoportax, and Protoryx/Pachytragus, and these in turn are readily distinguished from sites in which Palaeoreas/Majoreas, Protragelaphus, Oioceros, and Miotragocerus are more common. It is suggested that Sivas and similar sites (e.g. Sinap, Akkaşdağı) may have sampled drier, more open habitats than those with strongly differing faunal compositions (e.g. Nikiti-1, Çorakyerler).

On some spiral-horned antelopes (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Bovidae) from the upper Miocene of Turkey, with remarks on their distribution.

ZusammenfassungDie Untersuchung von Material aus einigen Aufsammlungen an mehreren türkischen Obermiozän-Lokalitäten ermöglichte erstmals die endgültige Bestimmung und Beschreibung spiral-gehörnter Antilopen dieses Landes:Palaeoreas lindermayeri, Protragelaphus skouzesi, Prostrepsiceros zitteli undNisidorcas sp. Mehrere endemische Arten sind während des tiefen Obermiozäns auf Zentral-Anatolien beschränkt; im höheren Obermiozän treten in stärkerem Maße weitverbreitete Taxa auf. Dieser Wechsel weist auf eine Abnahme des Provinzialismus in diesem Gebiet hin.AbstractExamination of some collections from several late Miocene Turkish localities allows us to describe and definitely identify for the first time several species of spiral-horned antelopes in this country:Palaeoreas lindermayeri, Protragelaphus skouzesi, Prostrepsiceros zitteli andNisidorcas sp. During the first part of the late Miocene, several endemic species are restricted to central Anatolia, while more widespread taxa appear in the later part of this period, suggesting a decrease in provinciality of this area.

Y-chromosome and autosomal STR diversity in four proximate settlements in Central Anatolia.

Due to the longstanding human presence in the region and the influence of social traditions, the genetic make-up of populations currently inhabiting Turkey (Anatolia) is quite complex. To characterize the patterns of genetic diversity in rural Central Anatolian villages, we analyzed samples collected at four local settlements for variation at 17 Y-chromosome STR and 15 autosomal STR loci. The resulting data reveal considerable diversity within these settlements, as well as some structure in the paternal genetic variation, with a limited number of haplotypes being shared between the communities. These findings have important implications for forensic studies of Turkish populations.

Relationships of Barbourofelis piveteaui (Ozansoy, 1965), a late Miocene nimravid (Carnivora, Mammalia) from central Turkey

ABSTRACT An incomplete skull and associated mandible of “Megantereon” piveteaui Ozansoy, 1965, from the Middle Sinap Formation (Vallesian Mammal Age, early late Miocene) of Turkey is one of the best preserved and perhaps the latest known record of the Nimravidae outside North America. It shares many synapomorphies (such as the very specialized carnassials, reduced P3s and lower canine, broad palate, large infraorbital foramen, and large masseter insertion) with North American Barbourofelis, and is accordingly referred to this genus, which probably also includes B. vallesiensis (Beaumont and Crusafont, 1982) from the late Miocene of Spain. Immigration of this group into North America may have taken place near the middle/late Miocene boundary.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Turkish adults.

The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence and patterns of adult overweight and obesity in Turkey and discuss the impact of socio-environmental factors. A cross-sectional nationwide survey was carried out on 2100 adults (1050 males and 1050 females) aged 18 to 65 years from 7 geographic regions of Turkey. Data on height and weight were measured according to the Anthropometric Standardization Reference Manual and a questionnaire was applied to access the socio-economic status. The body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2), overweight and obesity were calculated, and percentiles were developed by LMS method. Mean BMI was 26.24 for males and 28.02 for females. Results showed that obesity was more pronounced among females (34.19%) than among males (20%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that older age and education level among females, and older age and occupational status among males have impact on obesity. Comparison of the present results with former nationwide studies conducted in Turkey showed that height and weight for both sexes have increased with the improved socio-economic conditions. In addition, increased weight and BMI needed to be monitored particularly for females in terms of acute health problems.

Forensic anthropology in Turkey

Research in skeletal biology has a long history in Turkey, but the shift towards the study of contemporary people has recently been stimulated by the need for appropriate techniques for forensic application. There is an increasing need for data to determine if population-specific standards for age and stature estimation and sex determination are necessary and if so, to develop them. The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of forensic anthropology in Turkey. As has been the case elsewhere, forensic anthropology has its roots in physical anthropology. In Turkey, distinguished pioneers in physical anthropology, such as Sevket A. Kansu and Muzaffer S. Senyürek, focused on the skeletal biology of the historic and prehistoric inhabitants of Anatolia. Today, research programs are under way in the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Istanbul and the Department of Physical Anthropology in Ankara to include the collection of data on modern Turks. A number of projects dealing with various aspects of forensic anthropology are already in progress, e.g., development of age and sex determination standards for the Turkish population. In addition, several graduate students have also chosen research topics in this field.