The Department of Palaeoanthropology bridges the gap between the past and the present by researching all the anatomical, biological, and morphological changes that humans have undergone since the beginning of mankind up to the present day. The main aim of the Department of Palaeoanthropology is to investigate the morphological structures of individual humans and societies as a group in prehistoric times, the conditions and environments in which they lived, the diseases they suffered from and whether they were treated, their diet, and the mobility of the population. It also aims to obtain information about these individuals or societies and use this information to show the changes in the historical process up to the present day. The materials of the Department of Paleoanthropology are human skeletons excavated during paleoanthropological and archaeological excavations, as well as some fossil finds excavated during paleontological excavations.
The studies of the Department of Paleoanthropology are carried out in three different phases: surface investigations, excavations, and laboratory investigations. Surface studies are research aimed at identifying where finds related to humans and their ancestors can be found. From paleoanthropological studies, conclusions can be drawn about taxonomy, human history, relationships between societies, social and ecological developments and changes, population trends, and diseases. These studies provide information about the extinct species of the human family assigned to the primate order, information about the morphological, biological, cultural, and demographic structures of societies that lived in the past, and information about the similarities and differences between societies.
Paleoanthropological studies conducted in our country examine the skeletal remains of past Anatolian societies to determine the environmental conditions in which they lived, their morphological structures, demographic distributions, and diseases that cause pathological scars. The Department of Paleoanthropology employs closely related branches of science such as Biology, Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Forensic Medicine, Demography, and Statistics, and the results can reveal population distributions, health conditions, nutritional regimes, and biocultural relations in relevant societies. Forensic Anthropology uses age, gender, and height formulas created from skeletons to identify missing people who have become skeletons. Thus, the data gathered in the Department of Paleoanthropology can also contribute to forensic sciences.
