Bones from 5 mln years ago unearthed in Kırşehir

KIRŞEHİR - Anadolu Agency

The bones of giraffes, rhinos and elephants from 5 million years ago show that Kırşehir was like an African continent and a watery area in the past. AA photo

Research carried out near the Hirfanlı Dam has revealed the bones of giraffes, rhinos and elephants from 5 million years ago. The head of the research project, Ahmet Cem Erkman, who is deputy chairman of the Surface Exploration Group of Ahi Evran University in Kırşehir, said that one of the most important anthropological studies was Çankırı-Çorum nearby and added they had started surface exploration in Kırşehir, located to the south of this area, nearly three years ago.

Erkman said that the Hirfanlı dam lake in Kırşehir and the Yiğitler region in Yozgat border had a lot potential, adding, “There are two locations that we have recently selected, Hirfanlı dam lake and the Yiğitler region. We have unearthed many fossils in the northern part of Hirfanlı during our three-year research. We have found a rhino skull and elephant, giraffe, horse, pig and hyena bones in our recent research.”

Erkman said that they were coordinating with the Middle East Technical University and they had discovered that the bones dated back to 5 million years ago.

He said that research continued with the support of the university and the Turkish History Foundation.

“We want to shed light on the natural history of Kırşehir by looking at these fossils. It was like an African continent in the past. Its climate is different today. It is understood that it was a watery area and had an ecological environment, which is very different from today.”