10 thousand year old mystery in Cyprus to be solved by CIU and METU Collaboration

DNA studies are being carried out by the Cyprus International University (CIU) Center for Archeology, Cultural Heritage and Conservation, and the Middle Eastern Technical University (METU) Department of Biology on bones belonging to humans who had inhabited Cyprus 10,000 years ago. The work is being conducted in the context of a cooperation agreement cosigned by the two parties.

Analysis of ancient DNA has commenced for bones belonging to the very first humans who lived on the island. The bones were recovered during excavations in Tatlısu-Çiftlikdüzü, which the Cyprus International University Center for Archeology, Cultural Heritage and Conservation has been carrying out with the support of TÜBİTAK since 2010.

Researchers in Cyprus took sample particles from the 10,000 year old human bones at the CIU Biotechnological Research Laboratory. The samples were taken out of Cyprus with special authorization from the Northern Cypriot Office of Ancient Works and Museums, in order to be studied by the METU researcher Füsun Özer at METU-Ankara and at Stockholm University in Sweden.

The findings obtained from these studies will enable certain facts to be established concerning the inhabitants of Cyprus 10,000 years ago, such as the population of the community, the geographical roots of its members, resemblances between the inhabitants and the Anatolians of the era, and even physical traits such as eye color...Read More

Credit: Ajans CIU