This survey course will focus on the archaeological sequences of Türkiye (ancient Anatolia) from the Neolithic period through the Late Bronze Age and the end of the Hittite Empire. An illustrated lecture series will cover the major stages in the rise of agricultural production and a critical evaluation of models of state origins will provide the basis for our understanding of the transformation into complex state societies in Anatolia. It will cover the major theoretical issues in trade and exchange systems that form the backdrop for the prosperous Assyrian trading systems. Textual material will be integrated with the archaeological record to illuminate some of the complex relationships between the Hittite Empire in northern Anatolia and the Levant. Highlighted are the major sites such as the following: Göbeklitepe, Çatalhöyük, Alaca Höyük, Troy, Göltepe/Kestel, the GAP salvage projects, Kültepe, Acemhöyük, Alalakh, and Bogazköy
Material evidence and historical sources for Türkiye from the Iron Age to the Roman period. Cultures and time periods of the Neo-Hittites, Phrygians, Urartu, Lydians, Greek settlements, Persian rule in Türkiye, Hellenistic kingdoms such as Pergamon, Roman cities and settlements. For all time periods, the developments in Türkiye, within the wider context of the Mediterranean and Near Eastern regions.
Investigation of archaeological, art historical and historical testimonies ranging from the Late Roman through the Byzantine periods in the territories of present · day Türkiye. Examination of the ways in which lands of the Roman Empire, both cities and countryside, underwent transformations, adaptations and radical changes. Discussion on the impact early Islamic cultures bore on Eastern Anatolia and beyond. (3 credits)
This course provides an introduction to the issues and approaches used to study the history of Ottoman art and architecture from the early Ottoman era to the establishment of the Turkish Republic and the world of contemporary art in Türkiye
An introduction to the practical and theoretical aspects of working in and with a variety of museum institutions and cultural heritage institutions in Türkiye and abroad. The course is organized in modules and taught by local faculty and visiting experts from museums and cultural heritage institutions around the world.
An introduction to the practical and theoretical aspects of working in and with a variety of museum institutions and cultural heritage institutions in Türkiye and abroad. The course is organized in modules and taught by local faculty and visiting experts from museums and cultural heritage institutions around the world.
This course covers theoretical approaches and methods used in the design and implementation of archaeological field research and data analysis. It focuses on the principles that archaeologists use to explain human cultural development from the material record of the past. Questions considered will include: What is archaeology and what are its aims? Is there a coherent body of archaeological theory to which most archaeologists subscribe? What appears to be the most productive theoretical approaches for understanding and interpreting the past?
Archaeological method and theory with emphasis on the principles and practice of Anatolian archaeology. Topics include: survey and excavation methods and associated recording techniques, the instrumental analysis and interpretation of various kinds of excavated materials, and the presentation and publication of archaeological results.
This course examines the concepts and methodology of art historical study and their application to the visual arts of different periods and regions, including the historical and philosophical foundations of contemporary criticism and theory.
The course examines perceptions and representations of the Late Antique and Byzantine worlds in modern times. Approaches and transformations in the study of the discipline will be analyzed. Modern methods in history writing form an integral part of the course.
Students present their research and MA thesis proposals. Learn about research methods, publication ethics and improve their writing planning. Graduate students participate in the seminars given by Archaeology and History of Art program faculty and visiting fellows at the Center for Anatolian Civilizations
This course will critically examine the changing perspectives on the origins of state societies. The issues addressed will include the formation and organization of states and the political, economic and social structures that underlie the functioning and maintenance of large political systems. The multiplicity of states and urban landscapes and the spatial layout of neighborhoods will be explored with special reference to the concepts of ethnicity, identity, gender, class and kinship ties.
This course will take a comparative approach to the study of empires. It will consider topics such as empire formation, expansion and collapse, the organization of empires, and cultural interactions.
Art and archaeology of the Aegean during the Bronze Age. This course analyzes the art, history, architecture and material culture of Western Anatolia, Mainland Greece, the Aegean Islands, Crete and Cyprus during the Bronze Age (ca. 3000-1090 BC). Early-Late Helladic Material culture, art and architecture; Cycladic art and its origin, Minoan palaces and art; Mycenaean citadels; Bronze Age of Western Anatolia.
Focus on the role Romans played within the broader Mediterranean landscape between its origin in the 8th century BC and Late Antiquity. Study of written sources and material remains showing how a process of interchange and exchange of ideas developed parallel with the gradual expansion of Roman power. Attention to the way Rome affected the life, architecture and art in areas that came under its dominion, but also to the impact foreign elements had on Roman society and material culture in its broad sense.
This course will focus on ancient economic systems. The course will begin by exploring different perceptual and analytical orientations and debates that underlie economic anthropology. Concepts such as gift-giving, reciprocity, trade, commodities, market and non-market economies, household economies, labor, exchange and trade, and money will be explored with archaeological or ethnographic case studies. Students will learn to critically evaluate Western interpretations in economic procedures and will become acquainted with cross-cultural practices from today and the past.
This course analyzes the broad range of historical documents contributing to the making of Late Antique and Byzantine histories.
Introduction to painting in the Ottoman Empire through the centuries, the art of miniature painting, manuscript illustration and album making in the Ottoman palace, the formation of a distinctive style developed through the interactions of the visual traditions of the East and West. The adoption of new techniques and styles such as murals and canvas painting as a result of encounters with Western art.
Survey of the art and architecture of the Umayyad, Abbasids, Fatamids, Mongols, Seljuks, Timurids, Safavids, Mughals, and Ottomans. The period from the foundation of the Ottoman Empire to the founding of the Turkish Republic is given special emphasis.
This course will examine the roots of the crusading movement in Western Christian society; the ways in which the crusades brought three world cultures (Western Europe, Byzantium and the Islamic Near East) into contact and confrontation; the type of cultural interaction that took place and the impact of the crusades in the societies of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Exploring the evidence about the shaping and transformation of urban settlements in the Late Antique and Byzantine Worlds. Analysis of urban archaeology and material culture along with textual evidence will. Study of suburban spaces and of settlement archaeology. Examination of a broad range of cities and towns.
The history and the archaeology of the Byzantine imperial capital from its foundation to the Ottoman conquest. The functions of the built environment in relation to both historical time and urban space: the imperial palaces, the public churches, civic ritual and entertainment, economic and social services, the provision of welfare and defense, and the role of monasteries in the life of the community.
Ottoman modernism and the historical and cultural transformation in the 18th and 19th centuries will be discussed in view of the artistic developments. How Western modality penetrated into the cultural sphere and how borrowings led to the birth of new techniques, forms and styles in the art and architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries leading to the early Republican Period will be the main theme in the course including a critical discourse of the concepts of 'modernism' and 'westernization' and 'national identity'