Research Information System
Arkeoloji ve Sanat, no.162, pp.1-10, 2019 (Other Refereed National Journals)
In definition of the prehistoric migration routes of the earliest human beings, determination of the
sites plays an crucial role. There is no doubt that in these first migrations from Africa, Anatolia had
an important place. Evidence of the earliest stages of human history, called the Paleolithic Age, has
been increasing with excavations and surveys carried out in recent years. Lower Palaeolithic bifacial
tools unearthed in Turkey are mostly concentrated in southeastern and central Anatolia. However,
in northern Anatolia the number of bifaces is quite low. From this point of view an Acheuléen bifacial tool uncovered in 2009 season, during the preliminary work at the excavations in Derekutuğun
which is located approximately 75 km northwest of the province capital Çorum in northern Anatolia,
epitomizes an important stray find particularly in the understanding of the hunter-gatherer movements, migration routes and cultural connections between northern Anatolia and southern Caucasus
during the Lower Paleolithic. Derekutuğun represents an important site, because of its native copper deposits, prehistoric mines and the associated settlement. Due to the fact that such Acheuléen
bifaces are a rarity in northern Anatolia, the aforementioned biface which is reflected a cultural tradition associated with the South Caucasus would provide an important contribution to the Paleolithic
research in Turkey. In addition, the presence of such an artifact in Derekutuğun could also enable
assumptions about the migration routes of Homo erectus between the Caucasus and Anatolia during the Lower Paleolithic.