Hasan Hüseyin Atar

Analysis of fossil mitochondrial DNA obtained from archaeological sites mostly focused on human samples and for that reason, the number of studies performed on the other vertebrates plants and prokaryotes is very limited. Studies on ancient DNA extracted from the animal bones will allows us to access crucial information about the diversity, evolution and the origins of domestication in these species. Such studies are even more important for species that are possible to be defined using characters that especially close to each other such as osteometric or osteomorfologic characters.

The uncovered remains of aquatic organisms especially in coastal settlements has an important place within the scope of the food economy for the period which they belong. As a result of the coastal or offshore fishing activities these materials are brought to the residential area and after they were consumed, the bones or shells were thrown in the trash or the street. Evaluating the remains as a whole that uncovered during archeological researches in the past with all other archaeological data uncovered in the area, can shed light on their interpretation and unknown variety of the period to which they belong.

Archaeological studies carried out by our university on the Aegean coast in Liman Tepe and Cesme – Bağlararası, examine the cultural process dating back to middle of the 5th Millennium BC through the Classical Age. These settlements were harbour towns due to their place on the shore and have established trade relations with different cultures on the Mediterranean and the Aegean coasts. The project’s achievement is to verify molecular analysis on aquatic live remains obtained from different eras in Liman Tepe and Çeşme – Bağlararası and will try to clarify the relationships between residential sites of distant culture regions with a different scientific approach.

Scientific and Technological Research Council Of Turkey (TUBİTAK)

2017-2020