Scientists Uncover Misplaced Land Bridge to Europe

An “emotional and inspiring” archaeological discover of Paleolithic instruments has revealed a long-lost prehistoric passage which will have enabled motion between Ayvalık and Europe.

Continuous stretches of land, now mendacity beneath the ocean, could as soon as have allowed early people to maneuver between what’s now Türkiye and Europe, based on groundbreaking analysis in a area that has remained largely unexamined.

The findings, revealed on 19 September 2025 within the peer-reviewed Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, doc the primary proof of a Paleolithic presence in Ayvalık. More considerably, they could reshape our understanding of how people entered Europe.

For a long time, the prevailing view has been that Homo sapiens reached the continent primarily by the Balkans and the Levant, touring from Africa into the Middle East.

Yet, the current discovery of 138 stone instruments throughout 10 websites spanning 200 km² suggests a distinct risk: lengthy earlier than Ayvalık turned identified for its olive groves and coastal landscapes, its northeastern Aegean shoreline could have offered an alternate pathway for people adapting to a shifting prehistoric world.

“Our archaeological discovery has unveiled that this now-idyllic region once potentially offered a vital land bridge for human movement during the Pleistocene era—when sea levels dropped and the now-submerged landscape was briefly exposed,” explains Dr Göknur Karahan, from the Department of Archaeology-Prehistory, at Hacettepe University, in Turkey, who was a part of a completely feminine workforce of professional archaeologists from the nation.

“We are very excited and delighted with this discovery. These findings mark Ayvalık as a possible new frontier within the story of human evolution, inserting it firmly on the map of human prehistory – opening up a brand new risk for a way early people could have entered Europe.  

“It feels like we are adding an entirely new page to the story of human dispersal. Our research raises exciting possibilities for future exploration, and we hope it emerges as a body of work that will shift the approach of Pleistocene archaeology for decades to come.” 

How had been these findings attainable?

During the Ice Age, sea ranges had been greater than 100 meters decrease than in the present day, revealing broad stretches of land that are actually submerged. In that interval, the islands and peninsulas of contemporary Ayvalık had been related as a part of a single landmass, making a pure hall between Anatolia and Europe.

The newly uncovered instruments lie alongside the current shoreline, providing direct proof of individuals inhabiting and touring throughout these landscapes that later disappeared beneath the ocean.

Until now, components akin to environmental adjustments and the depth at which stays are buried have made it tough to determine and protect archaeological proof within the Ayvalık area.

“In all these periods, the present-day islands and peninsulas of Ayvalık would have formed interior zones within an expansive terrestrial environment,” explains co-author Professor Kadriye Özçelik, from Ankara University. 

“These paleogeographic reconstructions underscore the importance of the region for understanding hominin dispersals across the northeastern Aegean during the Pleistocene.” 

What was discovered?

The area’s shifting geology and energetic coastlines within the North Aegean made preservation tough and the variety of gadgets uncovered “limited.” However, this analysis workforce managed to uncover Levallois applied sciences from numerous Paleolithic intervals, in addition to handaxes and cleavers.  
 
Among probably the most vital finds embrace Levallois-style flake instruments, subtle implements linked to the Middle Paleolithic Mousterian custom – these are sometimes related to Neanderthals and early Homosapiens. 
 
“These large cutting tools are among the most iconic artifacts of the Paleolithic and are instantly recognizable even today, so are a very important find,” explains Dr Karahan. 
 
“The presence of these objects in Ayvalık is particularly significant, as they provide direct evidence that the region was part of wider technological traditions shared across Africa, Asia, and Europe.”

Describing the preliminary discovery of the 131 gadgets, Dr Karahan provides: “It was a really unforgettable second for us. Holding the primary instruments in our palms was each emotional and galvanizing. 

“And every discover from there on was a second of pleasure for the entire workforce.  

“Holding these objects —after walking across landscapes where no one had ever documented Paleolithic remains before— was unforgettable.” 

What does this discovery inform us about early people?

The consultants’ key argument hinges on the potential of Ayvalık as a dynamic website for interplay and change, facilitating early human motion between the Anatolia peninsula and Europe.  

Exploring how Anatolia, with a selected concentrate on Ayvalık, and Europe had been linked throughout glacial sea-level low stands affords different pathways for a way early people moved across the area past dominantly emphasised northern mainland-centered routes. 

Addressing a spot within the scholarship, the authors’ work supplies a brand new basis for inspecting assets and migration routes by which Ayvalık could have featured as a part of a mobility hall. 

The survey’s yield of instruments demonstrates a “consistent use of Levallois technology and flake production… and a diversified toolkit,” while all artefacts collectively provide what the workforce state are “valuable insights into early human presence, raw material preferences, and technological variability.”

“The findings paint a vivid picture of early human adaptation, innovation, and mobility along the Aegean,” Dr Karahan explains. 

“The results confirmed that Ayvalık – which had never before been studied for its Paleolithic potential – holds vital traces of early human activity.” 

Incredible recoveries, a whole lot of 1000’s of years later

 As this was a survey (carried out throughout a two-week interval in June 2022) relatively than an excavation, the workforce couldn’t make sure of what they might discover once they set off. They knew from the area’s geology and paleogeography that there was potential. They explored – typically muddy, (significantly in lowland basins and coastal plains) – websites by foot. 

What adopted was a “discovery of such a diverse and well-preserved set of artifacts, which exceeded our expectations,” Dr Karahan says.  

Although these restoration efforts weren’t with out challenges, the authors discover what each the challenges and findings reveal within the paper.  

They state: “The widespread, muddy cowl was thought of a limiting issue for the preservation and detectability of Paleolithic supplies.  

“However, despite these constraints, high-quality raw material sources, such as flint and chalcedony, were identified in multiple locations, including areas affected by alluvial deposition.”

Future potential

Fellow creator Dr Hande Bulut, from Düzce University, provides: “Ultimately, the outcomes underline Ayvalık’s potential as a long-term hominin habitat and a key space for understanding Paleolithic technological options within the jap Aegean. 

“While preliminary, the present findings underscore the area’s potential to contribute to broader debates on Aegean connectivity and technological evolution through the Pleistocene. 

“Excitingly, the region between the North Aegean and the Anatolian mainland, may still hold valuable clues to early occupation despite the challenges posed by active geomorphological processes.” 

The workforce recommends future analysis makes use of a multidisciplinary method to stipulate absolute courting, stratigraphic excavation, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction, which they describe as “essential to clarify the temporal depth and functional character of the Ayvalık assemblage.”

Reference: “Discovering the Paleolithic Ayvalık: A Strategic Crossroads in Early Human Dispersals Between Anatolia and Europe” by Hande Bulut, Göknur Karahan and Kadriye Özçelik, 17 September 2025, Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology.
DOI: 10.1080/15564894.2025.2542777

Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily publication.
Follow us on Google, Discover, and News.