The Mediterranean has been full throughout human prehistory.

Some think the Black Sea was much smaller, and filled up, during the period in question. But evidence there is inconclusive.

We know there was a cataclysmic meteor strike toward the west end of the Persian Gulf, well after it had filled in.

> Some think the Black Sea was much smaller, and filled up, during the period in question. But evidence there is inconclusive.

Evidence of catastrophic flooding is debated and inconclusive.

That the black sea’s level used to be much lower is not, all water levels were much lower at the glacial maximum, and gradually rose as the ice age ended, nearing stable historical sea levels around 7.5kya (5500 bce).

I am corrected: Yes,the Black Sea level was much lower, and rose. But how quickly? E.g., if the Bosporus was blocked, and later broke, the water could rise very quickly, over weeks, not years. It could fall, instead, if the sea had filled in, and then suddenly drained by a similar process.

But the subject is complicated by the unknown inflow from rivers, and from meltwater of retreating glacier.

Hydrology is complicated.

The Zanclean Flood (refilling of the Mediterranean) happened about 5 million years ago. That predates not only Homo sapiens sapiens, nor the Homo genus itself, but even Australopithecus itself.