Havran: Archaeologists have uncovered 8,000-year-old remains of the black fig for which the Havran district of northwestern Trkiye is known, revealing that the fruit has grown in the region since the Neolithic period. The carbonized figs were discovered during excavations at Andik Cave, on Kocacal Hill, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from Havran's Inonu neighborhood. A Carbon-14 analysis conducted at the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Trkiye's Marmara Research Center dated the remains to around 6300 BC.

According to Anadolu Agency, Derya Yalcikli, an archaeology professor at Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, is leading the excavations with authorization from the Culture and Tourism Ministry. The Balikesir Kuvayi Milliye Museum Directorate, Balikesir Metropolitan Municipality, and Havran Municipality are supporting the project. Andik Cave, which was discovered in 1949 by archaeologist Kilic Kokten, reaches a depth of 59 meters (194 feet) and contains several galleries.

Getting to the site presents a daily challenge for the excavation team. Setting out from their excavation house at dawn, the archaeologists travel by off-road vehicle along a trail to Kocacal Hill. At the end of the road, they load their water supplies onto a donkey and walk about 500 meters (1,640 feet) through narrow, rugged terrain to reach the cave. There, the team has uncovered numerous ceramic vessels and tools made of stone and bone. A painting on one of the cave walls depicts a mountain summit and a leopard.

Yalcikli told Anadolu that the cave was used over a long period, with its entrance serving both as a storage area and for ritual purposes. 'The use begins mainly in the Early Bronze Age and continues until the middle of the Late Bronze Age. In terms of dates, it covers a period extending to around the middle of 3000 BC,' he said. The team also found evidence of limited use during the Byzantine period, while the earliest evidence of human activity at the site dates to after 6700 BC.

Yalcikli said this year's excavations had revealed better-preserved archaeological layers than initially expected, including habitation areas and floor surfaces. 'We found habitation units and floors, allowing us to identify different levels of occupation,' he said. 'The collection consists mainly of bone, stone and cutting tools because these periods saw little or no use of metal.' The layers provide previously unknown information about prehistoric communities in the part of Balikesir that extends toward the Aegean region, he added.

The excavation team also discovered remains of food consumed by the cave's Neolithic inhabitants, including barley, wheat, and figs. Yalcikli said the charred fig remains were particularly well preserved and were found in unusually large numbers. 'Havran's geographically indicated fig is one of the district's most important products. We found it in a carbonized state,' he said. 'Carbon-14 testing showed that the fig remains date to 6300 BC. We can therefore say that Havran's famous fig has existed in this region since the Neolithic period.'

The figs appeared to have been gathered and stored together, suggesting that they formed part of the inhabitants' diet. 'We find barley, wheat and many other products in these layers, but the figs were preserved very well and their number is quite high,' Yalcikli said. 'They had been piled up and stored in one place. This shows that figs were among the fruits used for food at the time.' Havran Mayor Emin Ersoy said the municipality was providing its full support for the excavations and welcomed the discovery.