Extraction of Ancient DNA from Aquatic Organism Remains Found in Liman Tepe and Çeşme-Bağlararası Settlements, Molecular Evolutionary Analysis, and the Relationships of These Regions with Distant Cultural Regions

This project aimed to identify aquatic species consumed and traded in the region during prehistoric times by isolating ancient DNA from archaeozoological materials and employing molecular identification methods. Following the successful isolation of ancient DNA, species-level identification was performed using PCR and next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques via targeted mitochondrial gene regions. The obtained genetic data were used in evolutionary analyses to evaluate the origins of species, population structures, and potential cultural and commercial interaction networks through these species. This reopened the discussion on the connections between coastal settlements in Western Anatolia and distant cultural regions in the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean basins. The project is one of the pioneering studies in the field of aDNA in Türkiye and offers an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the role of aquatic resources in prehistoric economies.