Karain Cave

The Karain Cave, also called Black Cave, located about 27 km northwest of Antalya in the same Turkish province at an altitude of 400 m above sea level on the slopes of Sam Dagi near the village Yağcı Koyu. The entrance is about 100 m above the travertine plain, which was a lake in the Pleistocene.

37.07777777777830.570833333333Koordinaten: 37 ° 4 ' 40 "N, 30 ° 34' 15" E

The cave consists of a complex of three large chambers that are separated by Kalzitmauern and stalagmites and stalactites from each other and interconnected by narrow passageways.

The Karain cave was explored from 1946 to 1974 by İsmail Kılıç Kökten of the University of Ankara. In the filling layer in the entrance area began excavations. Work continued at least until 2008 ISIN Yalçınkaya in collaboration with the University of Liege.

The excavations show that the cave was inhabited since the Middle Palaeolithic ( about 200,000 years ago) the Mesolithic ( Middle Stone Age ) to antiquity. The latter is evidenced by Greek decorative panels and monograms on the outer walls. They show that the place was used as a temple.

In the interior and in the entrance of the cave Neolithic flint blades, various scrapers and arrowheads were found, as well as bones of hippos, elephants, wild horses, onagers, wild cattle, but also red and fallow deer, goat, sheep, deer, cave bear, hyena, lion, lynx, wolf, fox, wild cat, badger, marten, porcupine and rhinos, as well as bird bones. Also, human bones, including the jaws and teeth of Neanderthals and bones of Homo sapiens are among the finds.

At artifacts to bifaces and scrapers found in altpaläolithischer and Levallois. In the younger layers were ritz decorated pebbles and bone sculptures. On a bone device probably a human face was shaped stylistically the Natufian is close, possibly indicating relations to Palestine. From the Neolithic originate findings that are probably related to the Hacılar goods.

The majority of the finds can be seen in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara and in prehistoric hall of the museum of Antalya, some parts can also be seen in the small museum on site at the foot of the mountainside.