An Integrated Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of the Early Pleistocene Hominin-Bearing Site of Dursunlu (Türkiye)

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The fossiliferous Dursunlu Lignite Quarry (DLQ) is highlighted prominently in the archeological and paleontological literature because of the study of Pleistocene fauna and lithic artifacts, being considered the oldest Paleolithic site in Türkiye. Although the fauna and flora assemblage from DLQ are reasonably well known, taxonomic studies devoted to some groups, such as ostracods, mollusks, reptiles, and amphibians, have never been carried out. Here, we describe, illustrate, and study the taxonomic composition and ecological implications of the unpublished material of said groups, together with the aquatic plants and fish, recovered from six samples taken from the palustrine and peat bog facies of the sedimentary sequence. In addition, the recovered charophytes and cyprinids refine our taxonomical knowledge of both aquatic plants and fish. Our results concur with previous paleoenvironmental inferences based on flora and fauna composition—with DLQ representing a very shallow eutrophic lake with a dense palustrine vegetation belt during the cold (glacial) stage of the late Early Pleistocene—as well as highlight the study of all available groups as pivotal for better understanding the paleolake biota. We further conclude that the wetland areas of Dursunlu and surrounding steppe areas appear to have been an excellent environment for sporadic settlement of hominins during the Early Pleistocene, given the availability of food resources and easy access to water.