A new paleontology museum featuring exhibits of 7.5 million-year-old fossils of elephants, giraffes, horses and rhinos will open in Turkey’s central province of Kayseri.
The discovery of the fossils was made near excavations launched by the Yamula Dam in the Kocasinan district of the city two years ago. Excavations in the area were launched after a shepherd discovered another animal fossil in the area.
The remains of many horned species from the late Miocene unearthed during the excavations were later presented in an exhibition entitled “Prehistoric Elephants of Kayseri”.
As part of the latest studies, a museum where the discovered fossils will be displayed for the examination of history buffs is expected to open soon.
In addition, according to the written statement made by the Metropolitan Municipality of Kayseri, a group of foreign paleontologists visited the city to examine the historical remains. Foreign scientists included UC Berkeley anthropologist Tim White; Californian Joshua Carlson, Ph.D. at the University of Berkeley and works in the field of paleontology; and the Spaniard Laura Sanches, who studies Palaeolithic archaeology.
Noting that fossil studies are of great international importance, White said: “Creating a museum here and displaying the artifacts is the best way for everyone, from locals to professors, to learn and learn. ‘exploring the fossils found here’.
Declaring himself ready to offer all the contributions he can to the museum, he continued: “A private fossil museum does not exist in Ankara, Izmir or Istanbul. The Kayseri museum will be the first in Turkey in this direction. is a great honor for me to be involved in this development.”
Reiterating that all the team members who conducted the excavations at Kayseri are very talented and valuable and the work they do is very important, White explained: “We came to compare the fauna of prehistoric animals that lived in Africa with those who lived in Anatolia.”
Sanchez also said: “Here we find not only paleontology, but also archaeological remains left by man. I will try to collect all this data and create a holistic history of this place within the framework of the methodologies of the geographic information systems.
Stating that excavations will continue in the area, Prof. Cesur Pehlavan from the Kayseri excavation team said that Kayseri is an important fossil site and that restoration and repair of fossils is still ongoing.
“The skulls and lower jaws of the elephants, rhinos and giraffes we call megafauna obtained here will be presented to scientists and locals via our new museum. People will witness natural history from 7 years ago, 5 million years,” he added.
