Researchers will use e-DNA analysis during the 2026 excavation season at Çanakkale's 86,000-year-old İnkaya Cave to illuminate Paleolithic human history.

Addressing the rare conditions at the location, an official explained: "We are finding an enormous amount of flint, reaching up to 40,000 pieces as of now. But despite this, our organic remains count is zero. This is highly abnormal. We will conduct this study to identify that bacteria decayed and consumed organic materials."

"We will also be able to understand the surrounding plant life, animal remains, and, if we are lucky, which human species used the cave," he said. "This September, researchers from Ankara University's Genetic Evolution Laboratory will come to take soil samples from the site and use the DNA within them to determine the area's paleoecological structure.

Located within the boundaries of Bahadırlı Village in Çanakkale's Çan district, the 86,000-year-old İnkaya Cave was discovered in 2016 during the "Muğla and Çanakkale Provinces Surface Survey" led by Professor İsmail Özer of Ankara University. Set to shed light on Paleolithic human migrations between Anatolia and the Balkans, the cave underwent seasonal excavations between 2017 and 2020 by an international team under the direction of the Troy Museum Directorate.

Many institutes support

In 2021, the excavation was granted Presidential Decision Excavation status. Operating under the permit and backing of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, the project continues in 2026 with financial support from the ministry, the Ankara University Rectorate, the Çanakkale Governorship, the local copper mining company Truva Bakır, and T-Design Engineering.