Following two years (2019 and 2020) of intensive field survey at Çandarlı (ancient Pitane), which was completed in 2020, this year’s research focus was fully devoted to the study of the artefacts we have collected. We did visit Çandarlı on two occasions, not for more artefact collection, but to verify and discuss some of our observations, as well as to show the research area to our new team members.

In the province of Izmir, between the modern towns of Dikili and Bergama (UNESCO World Heritage Site Pergamon-Bergama), layers from the post-Paleolithic period (Epipalaeolithic) were discovered for the first time in a cave and uncovered in the course of a rescue excavation. They are overlaid by an ancient sanctuary of the Anatolian mother deity Meter-Kybele. As an important natural monument, the site was also frequented in the following Byzantine and Islamic eras before falling into oblivion.