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Archaeology

Explore selected excavation sites in Türkiye through detailed files covering chronology, field methods, finds, daily life and conservation.

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Aerial view of the Küçükçekmece lagoon and its Marmara connection, framing harbour and mobility.01Bathonea
Photo and licence: qwesy qwesy · CC BY 3.0 ↗
Megaron remains and protective canopy at Troy, Hisarlık.02Troy
Photo and licence: Giorgio Galeotti · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
Pergamon's steep hillside theatre within the misty acropolis landscape.03Pergamon
Photo and licence: Giorgio Galeotti · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
The two-storey façade of the Library of Celsus at Ephesus.04Ephesus
Photo and licence: Warren LeMay · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
Overview of the excavated Neolithic structures at Karahantepe.05Stone Hills
Photo and licence: Campels · CC0 1.0 ↗
The Lion Gate at Hattusa, a monumental entrance on the south-western fortification line.06Hattusa
Photo and licence: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
Excavated building plan at Šarišša within its upland landscape.07Šarišša (Sarissa)
Photo and licence: Panegyrics of Granovetter · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
Hittite stone foundations and remains of monumental architecture at Kayalıpınar.08Šamuha (Samuha)
Photo and licence: Ingeborg Simon · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
The excavation at Oymaağaç Höyük, identified with ancient Nerik.09Nerik
Photo and licence: Ingeborg Simon · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
Quick SwitchExport GuideSourced market-to-delivery publications
Prepared by Ersin İğdeLast editorial review: 3 August 2026Author and methodology →

Read each place through chronology, fieldwork, trade networks, belief, daily life and conservation—not simply as a monument.

9 research files
Filter excavation sites9 / 9
Filter by period

Geographic reading

See every site in its correct context

Compare nine research files using verified WGS84 reference points. Selecting a site updates the map, chronology and field dossier together.

The base map is simplified from Natural Earth country geometry. Markers use the WGS84 coordinate system.

Overview of the excavated Neolithic structures at Karahantepe.
Overview of the excavated Neolithic structures at Karahantepe.Captured: 2025Photo: CampelsWikimedia Commons ↗CC0 1.0 ↗Cropped for web

Selected research file

Stone Hills

A regional programme studying Neolithic transformation

4 min read

Stone Hills is not one ancient city. It brings Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe, Sayburç and other Neolithic settlements into a regional programme studying different paths from mobile lifeways toward settlement.

Site Profile
Şanlıurfa
Reference location
Şanlıurfa bölgesel odak
Chronology
c. 9600–8000 BCE
Protection / research
Multi-site research programme

Research identity

Excavation and scientific lead

Stone Hills is not a single excavation or university project; it is a regional, multi-site research programme under the Ministry's official umbrella.

Excavation / programme
Stone HillsOpen official source Scientific lead
Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and TourismOpen official source

The institutional relationship is verified against official project and institution pages.

Open the full site file →↓Field guidePDF · Turkish

02

Comparative reading

Examine excavation sites side by side

Select two or three sites and compare chronology, settlement, architecture, economy, finds, excavation method and conservation.

2/3 · Up to 3 sites
01

Bathonea

Ancient harbour and multi-layered settlement
Location
Lake Küçükçekmece, Istanbul
Chronology
Epipalaeolithic–Ottoman
Settlement type
Harbour and lagoon settlement
Architecture
Harbour works, water structures, workshops and basilical buildings
Economy
Coastal mobility, production, food processing and regional trade
Important finds
Stone finds, ceramics, and evidence for production and water systems
Excavation method
Basin-scale survey, stratigraphic excavation and environmental data
Conservation status
Active excavation; lagoon conditions and urban pressure are monitored together
02

Troy

A 4,000-year bridge between Anatolia and the Aegean
Location
Hisarlık, Çanakkale
Chronology
Bronze Age–Roman
Settlement type
Fortified tell settlement
Architecture
Superimposed walls, gates, megarons, ramp and sanctuaries
Economy
Straits traffic, Aegean–Anatolian exchange and regional production
Important finds
Bronze Age architectural phases, ceramics and defence systems
Excavation method
Microstratigraphy, building phases, geophysics and conservation-led excavation
Conservation status
UNESCO property; visitors, legacy excavation damage and conservation are managed together

03

Chronological context

Not one line, but a layered chronology

Compare each site's strongest research phases. The period filter narrows the map at the same time.

  1. 01
    10th–7th millennia BCEEarly experiments in settled life
  2. 02
    3rd–2nd millennia BCEBronze Age cities and networks
  3. 03
    4th–1st centuries BCEHellenistic kingdoms and urbanism
  4. 04
    1st–7th centuries CERoman and Late Antique change
  5. 05
    7th–19th centuries CEByzantine and Ottoman layers

04

Finds Atlas · First records

Keep every object in context

Each record connects an object or architectural feature to material, date, find context, current location, evidence source and image licence.

Where an inventory number or precise layer cannot be verified in open sources, the record says so explicitly.

05

Archaeology database · Version 1.1

Nine files in one extensible data model

Province, coordinates, period, site type, research institution, excavation/conservation status, UNESCO record, update date and official source share one record.

Download JSON dataset ↓JSON · UTF-8 · 9 records
FileProvince / regionCoordinatesPeriodSite typeInstitutionStatusUNESCOLast updatedOfficial source
Bathonea ↗Istanbul · Marmara41.021° N · 28.718° EEpipalaeolithic–OttomanSettlement / tellScientific direction by Kocaeli UniversityActive excavationNot a UNESCO World Heritage propertyOfficial source ↗
Troy ↗Çanakkale · North Aegean39.958° N · 26.239° EBronze Age–RomanSettlement / tellMinistry of Culture and Tourism / Troy MuseumUNESCO World Heritage · 1998World Heritage · 1998Official source ↗
Pergamon ↗İzmir · Aegean39.133° N · 27.185° EHellenistic–OttomanCity / cultural landscapeGerman Archaeological Institute / Ministry of Culture and TourismUNESCO World Heritage · 2014World Heritage · 2014Official source ↗
Ephesus ↗İzmir · Aegean37.939° N · 27.341° ENeolithic–OttomanCity / cultural landscapeAustrian Archaeological Institute / Ministry of Culture and TourismUNESCO World Heritage · 2015World Heritage · 2015Official source ↗
Stone Hills ↗Şanlıurfa · Southeastern AnatoliaŞanlıurfa bölgesel odakc. 9600–8000 BCERegional research networkStone Hills Project / Ministry of Culture and TourismMulti-site research programmeGöbeklitepe World Heritage · 2018; not the whole programmeOfficial source ↗
Hattusa ↗Çorum · Central Anatolia40.0197° N · 34.6153° EChalcolithic–Iron Age; capital c. 1650–1180 BCECity / cultural landscapeGerman Archaeological Institute / Ministry of Culture and TourismUNESCO World Heritage · 1986World Heritage · 1986Official source ↗
Šarišša (Sarissa) ↗Sivas · Central Anatolia39.3083° N · 36.9097° E16th–13th centuries BCE; Iron Age layersSettlement / tellPhilipps-Universität Marburg / Sivas MuseumResearch programme since 1992Not a UNESCO World Heritage propertyOfficial source ↗
Šamuha (Samuha) ↗Sivas · Central Anatolia39.6197° N · 36.5282° EChalcolithic–Roman; especially Middle and Late Bronze AgeSettlement / tellKoç University / Ministry of Culture and TourismActive excavation · New phase since 2022Not a UNESCO World Heritage propertyOfficial source ↗
Nerik ↗Samsun · Black Sea41.2076° N · 35.4299° EChalcolithic–Medieval; especially Middle and Late Bronze AgeSettlement / tellOymaağaç Höyük–Nerik Excavation Project / inter-university teamActive excavation · Since 2007Not a UNESCO World Heritage propertyOfficial source ↗

04

Research dossier

Evidence at a glance

01

Multiple Neolithic settlements around Şanlıurfa

02

Around 12,000 years old

03

Monumental and domestic spaces studied together

04

Göbeklitepe is World Heritage

05

Field note

A layer-by-layer reading

  1. 01

    A region, not one site

    The programme compares Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe, Sayburç, Sefertepe and other centres, replacing a single 'first temple' story with relationships among settlements.

    Overview of the excavated Neolithic structures at Karahantepe.
    Overview of the excavated Neolithic structures at Karahantepe.Captured: 2025Photo: CampelsWikimedia Commons ↗CC0 1.0 ↗Cropped for web
  2. 02

    Settlement and social organisation

    Round and rectangular buildings, communal spaces, storage and production show that the move toward settled life was not a single event. Shared labour and specialisation are key questions.

    Bedrock-cut pillars and carved human head in Structure AB at Karahantepe.
    Bedrock-cut pillars and carved human head in Structure AB at Karahantepe.Captured: 2025Photo: tobeytravelsWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Cropped for web
  3. 03

    T-shaped pillars and images

    Anthropomorphic pillars, animal reliefs and sculpture are evidence for identity, memory, ritual and relationships with nature—not merely isolated artworks.

    T-shaped pillars from Göbeklitepe displayed in Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum.
    T-shaped pillars from Göbeklitepe displayed in Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum.Captured: 2025Photo: Marco RestanoWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Cropped for web
  4. 04

    Food and production

    Animal bone, plant remains, grinding stones and spatial patterns point to a complex transition in which hunting, plant processing and early production overlapped.

    Limestone mortar and pestle from Nevalı Çori, a regional comparison for Neolithic Şanlıurfa.
    Limestone mortar and pestle from Nevalı Çori, a regional comparison for Neolithic Şanlıurfa.Captured: 2026Photo: BautschWikimedia Commons ↗CC0 1.0 ↗Cropped for web
  5. 05

    Protection and accurate description

    The entire programme is not a UNESCO property; that status belongs to Göbeklitepe. It is in Şanlıurfa and is not a single 'ancient city'.

    The excavation area and visitor route beneath Göbeklitepe's protective roof.
    The excavation area and visitor route beneath Göbeklitepe's protective roof.Captured: 2025Photo: PhilrockWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Cropped for web

Sources and further reading

Stone Hills

The editorial text is checked against official institutions, excavation teams and World Heritage sources.

Official institution / projectOfficial Taş Tepeler Platform ↗
Official institution / projectGoTürkiye – Stone Hills Project ↗
Official institution / projectCulture Portal – Göbeklitepe ↗

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