Voices from the Field (2015-09-23)

Gygaia Project Members Meet in Istanbul

Catherine Scott and Jana Mokrisova

The field season has ended, but work doesn’t stop for project members! Four of us will continue our research in the heart of Istanbul this year.

Professor Chris Roosevelt has been appointed as the new director of Koç University’s Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (RCAC). Professor Christina Luke is an associate professor in the Department of Archaeology and History of Art at Koç University. Catherine Scott and Jana Mokrisova have received Junior Fellowships at the RCAC, and will be living at the center located on Istiklal Street for the coming year.

Koç University is one of the main hubs of archaeological research in Istanbul, catering both to the academic community and the general public. Here you can see project members attending the opening of a public exhibition featuring some intriguing early archaeological photographs, entitled “John Garstang’s Footsteps Across Anatolia,” located at the RCAC and curated by Dr. Alan Greaves.

The RCAC is home to an international and interdisciplinary community of scholars dedicated to the study of the history, heritage, and cultures of the civilizations that have inhabited Anatolia. In this way, the missions of the center and Gygaia Projects are similar in that they both advocate the idea that the past should be studied through varied approaches, and that this endeavor should not be divorced from the understanding of contemporary Anatolia.

Look forward to more posts from Gygaia Projects over the course of the year!