Late Chalcolithic Age pottery From İnönü Cave

The Western Black Sea Region is one of the least explored regions archaeologically in our country. In recent years, a few studies have been conducted which are significant in terms of understanding the prehistoric cultures of the region. Among these, the excavation of Yassıkaya Cave carried out by Prof. Dr. Turan Efe stands out. The surface surveys of Heracleia Pontika and its territory conducted by the Archaeology Department of Zonguldak-Bülent Ecevit University in Zonguldak province, Ereğli district, in 2016 revealed that the region has a rich and unique content in terms of prehistoric cultures. During these studies, it was thought that İnönü Cave, located within the borders of Karadeniz Ereğli District and identified and examined during the research, was an important settlement for understanding the early cultures of the region. Excavations of İnönü Cave, initiated in 2017, are ongoing as of 2023. The excavation of İnönü Cave not only provides exciting data on early cultures of the Western Black Sea region but also sheds light on many unanswered questions regarding Anatolian, Thracian, and Balkan regions and their cultures from these periods. One of the most significant results obtained from the excavations of İnönü Cave is that the V. layer of this settlement is currently the oldest known settlement on the Western Black Sea coast. In this context, a comprehensive examination of the findings from this layer is crucial for understanding both the early periods of the Western Black Sea coast and the surrounding regions. Within the scope of this thesis, data obtained from pottery and small finds from the V. layer indicate a strong cultural development and interregional connections in this relatively little-known region of Anatolia during the late 5th millennium BCE. The pottery findings from this layer have been thoroughly examined and evaluated within the framework of this thesis study.