Researchers will conduct environmental DNA testing at an 86,000-year-old cave in the northwestern province of Çanakkale this September, aiming to solve the mystery of why no organic remains have been found despite the discovery of 40,000 stone tools.
The İnkaya Cave, nestled in the Bahadırlı village of the local Çan district, yielded zero organic materials during previous excavations. Ankara University Professor İsmail Özer from the Faculty of Language, History and Geography’s Anthropology Department and Paleoanthropology Section called the situation an anomaly.
“We are doing e-DNA, environmental DNA analysis in the field for the first time this year to identify the bacteria consuming the organic material,” he said. Experts from the university’s genetic evolution laboratory will collect soil samples to determine the region’s paleoecological structure.
The analysis could reveal surrounding vegetation, animal remains and the exact human species utilizing the cave. This data promises to shed light on Paleolithic period migrations between Anatolia and the Balkans.
Özer discovered the site during the 2016 Muğla and Çanakkale Provinces Surface Survey. An international team subsequently carried out periodic excavations from 2017 to 2020 under the Troy Museum Directorate. The site gained presidential decree status in 2021.
A coalition of state and private entities supports the ongoing 2026 works. These include the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Cultural Heritage and Museums General Directorate, the Ankara University Rectorate, the Çanakkale Governorate, Truva Bakır Maden İşletmeleri A.Ş. and T-Design Mühendislik Şirketi.
Environmental DNA analysis allows scientists to detect genetic material left behind by organisms in soil without physical fossils. This technique helps archaeologists identify microscopic biological footprints in ancient sediments.
