Eight-million-year-old fossils found in Anatolia

Fossils belonging to vertebrates such as monkeys, pigs, horses and impalas that lived in Anatolia eight million years ago have been found during excavations carried out by a team under the leadership of Associate Professor Ahmet Cem Erkman of Ahi Evran University (AEÜ). Speaking to an Anadolu Agency correspondent, Erkman, who is the head of the Surface Exploration Group at AEÜ, said that the surface exploration studies that are supported by the Chancery of AEÜ, the Turkish Historical Society and Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums, an affiliation of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, were converted into rescue excavations. He underlined that they were able to unearth important fossils during the excavations.

The excavation team found bones of rhinoceroses, giraffes and elephants in the Hirfanlı region the previous year. The team, which is continuing its work under Erkman's leadership, found fossils of vertebrates such as monkeys, pigs, horses and impalas.

Explaining that the animal fossils were discovered in a single region, Erkman said that they believe the fossils drifted to the Hirfanlı region as a result of the flooding of the Kızılırmak River. "After the study, we came to the conclusion that the remains are eight million years old. Geological dating is a long process. We understand from the anatomical structure and changes in the animal bones that they are eight million years old. We are shedding light on the eight million-year-old history of nature here," Erkman said.

He said that they are working for their research to be included in world scientific literature, and that nobody had any idea that the Kuruntu location would have such potential. "This place is turning out to be an important place in world scientific literature," he said. The excavation team first presented their study at symposiums held by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, and then presented their findings at the 14th Congress of Regional Committee on Mediterranean Neogene Stratigraphy and an archeological congress in Moscow, where it raised interest among participants. The team will soon present their study at the 37th edition of the International Excavation, Research and Archeometry Symposium. "Our study will continue to draw attention," Erkman said. "The Kurutlu region as well as the fossils that were found will be studied in anthropology classes 10 years from now. These kinds of studies and articles are highly popular in paleontology magazines. Sometimes we receive support from abroad. Guest instructors are coming to our university from the U.S."

Erkman said that the articles concerning the fossils will be featured in international magazines once they are published in anthropological and paleontology magazines of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK). "I believe that the excavation will be popular in the upcoming years. We are introducing the Kırşehir region to the scientific world," he said.