Raw material analyses of the lower Paleolithic chipped stone industry of Karain Cave: Preliminary results

The current study represents the first raw material analysis ever conducted on a Lower Paleolithic assemblage in Turkey. A representative sample of 53 archaeological artifacts obtained from the Lower Paleolithic layers of Karain Cave, one of the most important Paleolithic sites in Anatolia, and 26 radiolarite blocks collected from raw material deposits around Karain were used for this undertaking. The goal of the study was to determine the type of raw materials used by the Lower Paleolithic hunter-gatherer groups that settled in the Karain Cave for the production of their chipped stone industry, and obtain initial ideas concerning the potential sources of the raw materials. For raw material characterization and provenance studies, petrographic methods including stereomicroscopy were employed. First results indicate that the Lower Paleolithic inhabitants of Karain Cave used a variety of sources for lithic raw material procurement. As an unexpected result, we found that the Burhan River, which is located approximately 10 km away from the site, might have served as the main source. This preference, which seems irrational at first could be explained by more favorable conditions than those found at closer sources, such as accessibility and abundance of raw materials.