New Evidence for Neolithic Habitation in the Hinterland of the Troad

Abstract

Summary: This essay introduces two newly discovered Neolithic sites identified through the archaeological surveys conducted in the hinterland of the Troad in north-western Turkey. Most of our knowledge about the Neolithic period of the region comes from the coastal site of Coşkuntepe, as well as Uǧurlu on the island of Gökçeada (Imbros) and Karaǧaçtepe (Protesilas) on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The lack of evidence for Neolithic habitation in the hinterland of the region was apparently due to the state of research. The recently discovered rock shelter-type site of Evkayasi and the mound of Taraçci imply that the hinterland of the Troad also bears traces of Neolithic habitation. Each of these sites yielded a single obsidian artefact of Melian origin, suggesting that these two settlements were on a land-based route that connected the Gulf of Edremit with the southern coast of the Sea of Marmara. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.