Antropoloji

Öz

Çorakyerler, where Anadoluvius turkae was discovered that left its mark on the history of humanity in the centenary of the Republic, is located in the central district of Çankırı province. Çorakyerler is a fossil locality dating back approximately 9 million years to the Late Miocene period. As a result of systematic excavations carried out here for years, thousands of identifiable numbered fossil finds belonging to 43 species were unearthed. These fossil finds include very important and locally unique species belonging to the orders Carnivora, Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla, and Primates. These unique finds include two newly described genera and two species. While the new genera were named Anadolivius turkae and Gangraia anatolica, the new species were named Qurliqnoria chorakensis and Hystrix kayae. These are the most important finds discovered in the Çorakyerler locality. Among these, Anadoluvius turkae is a crucial find that changed the history of the hominin evolution and put forward a hypothesis contrary to the one supporting that hominins emerged from Africa. This new finding is evidence that hominins migrated to Africa after diversifying in Anatolia and in the Mediterranean region. In addition to Anadolivius turkae, other important finds discovered during the Çorakyerler excavation also serve as references to the similar localities. Çorakyerler excavations are still continuing and finds of new species are being discovered every year.