Neolithic fig remains dated to 8,000 years discovered in Turkey's Balıkesir

During a season of fieldwork at Andik Cave on Kocacal Hill near Havran, archaeologists uncovered carbonized black figs that carbon-14 dating ties to about 6,300 B.C., indicating fig cultivation in the Balıkesir region during the Neolithic. The cave, first identified in 1949, extends 59 metres and contains multiple galleries accessed via a steep, donkey-carried trek. Researchers led by Derya Yalçıklı of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, with support from the Culture and Tourism Ministry and local municipalities, also recovered ceramic vessels, stone and bone tools, and a mural depicting a mountain summit and a leopard.

Evidence points to primary use of the cave from the Early Bronze Age to the middle of the Late Bronze Age, with some activity persisting into the Byzantine period. The recent layers are better preserved than expected, revealing habitation floors and distinct occupation levels. The discovery adds to the understanding of early agricultural practices in northwestern Türkiye.