tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75232756340564935422024-03-12T20:41:55.853-05:00Real-Time ArchaeologyBrandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-74614212050211603162009-06-26T00:02:00.002-05:002009-08-16T12:05:56.026-05:00Last Field Day<p>Three days ago we spent our last day in the field. During the few days students will finish their photo journals, written journals, and GIS projects while staff write final season reports. Despite the loss of my luggage, two broken cell phones, a broken GPS unit, and an interesting geomorphologist I have had an excellent season. My competence in ArcGIS continues to grow and we collected a nice assemblage of Eastern Terra Sigillata pottery. Below I have posted a few pictures from our second annual soccer game against the kids of Guzelyayla. Like last year there was a sizeable turnout and like last year we lost but the game was much closer 10-7. Despite scoring 4 goals (5 if you count the one I scored on our own goal) and I did not almost cut my finger off (like last year), I still hate soccer! Note the wonderful gravel playing field, the random cars and tractor parked on the field, and the nice crowd. Thanks to everyone for a great season and see you next year. </p><p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SkRV8BTcvRI/AAAAAAAAADY/xsASvRbkOuk/s1600-h/Soccer%20113%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" title="Soccer 113" border="0" alt="Soccer 113" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SkRV_GaFQJI/AAAAAAAAADc/InAwjiVyS3E/Soccer%20113_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="559" height="326" /></a> </p><p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SkRWCcIP1xI/AAAAAAAAADg/4eZuPqrIFaw/s1600-h/Soccer%20143%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" title="Soccer 143" border="0" alt="Soccer 143" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SkRWFj8upwI/AAAAAAAAADk/E2HMhqA_-kQ/Soccer%20143_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="560" height="364" /></a></p><p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SkRWJMCUuwI/AAAAAAAAADo/oJ1iEOqADZg/s1600-h/Soccer%20161%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" title="Soccer 161" border="0" alt="Soccer 161" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SkRWMWTLhuI/AAAAAAAAADs/yJAKbKD6sV8/Soccer%20161_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="562" height="341" /></a></p><p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SkRWPhVyMkI/AAAAAAAAADw/x6IrYyc_MLk/s1600-h/Soccer%20164%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" title="Soccer 164" border="0" alt="Soccer 164" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SkRWSif2cxI/AAAAAAAAAD0/DdFXHsleN7A/Soccer%20164_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="312" /></a></p><p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SkRWWrfoIwI/AAAAAAAAAD4/JiOSfUYAUmA/s1600-h/Soccer%20194%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" title="Soccer 194" border="0" alt="Soccer 194" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SkRWaBLBN_I/AAAAAAAAAD8/eKFjXeXEEm0/Soccer%20194_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="570" height="299" /></a></p>Brandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-5277309208622756042009-06-22T03:14:00.007-05:002009-06-22T03:54:32.893-05:00The Karatepe of Azatiwatas by Kirstie HudsonAfter a long ride in the car with many stops at sites along the way we finally reached the site I’d read so much about but had done such poor justice to when I’d given my presentation Thursday. The road wound along beside the lake created by the damming of the Ceyhan River. I watched the forest go by listening to awesome dance music courtesy of our driver Mehmet. As we drove farther off the main road a castle appeared on the mountaintop a few miles from the road. The country grew more ruggedly beautiful as the journey went on and soon we reached a sign for the museum. We hurried because they were keeping it open for us and so we piled out and headed off along the trail.<br /><br />There is nothing more amazing than seeing a site you’ve read about in person. There was no longer any question in my mind about whether or not I was going to be an archaeologist. Seeing what Professor, Doctor Halet Çambel had accomplished here was inspiring. The fortifications of the southern gate came into view and I thought if I breathed it would disappear. I felt a tingle run up my spine upon seeing the ancient words carved into the Orthostats that had been painstakingly reconstructed from scattered, badly damaged fragments. I reached out and traced one of the hieroglyphs. I had never been able to put the pictures from books into perspective, but being able to trace the words of a human being that had lived and worked nearly 2700 years before my time left me with many questions that have yet to be answered.<br /><br />Moving on I saw my first Phoenician inscription carved into the statue of the Storm God. The thoughts racing through my mind were and still are difficult to express. The Phoenician was more human that the Luwian hieroglyphs and so clearly made for efficiency that I was left with a sensation of pride. Pride in the knowledge that these primarily commercial seafarers had, with these elegant carvings, helped breath life into the writing system I use today.<br /><br />Progressing quickly we rushed on to the Northern Gate. There was deep sadness in me because I knew we had to hurry and I would likely miss some of the most amazing parts of the site. Walking down a steep path that wound down toward the Northern Gate I began attempting to reconstruct the fortress in my mind. Trying to picture people and buildings, ancient streets and livelihoods gone with only their foundations, pottery and inscriptions to mark their existence. This footprint of humanity had lain untouched for nearly 2500 years and now, I could see it in my mind as the Northern Gate came into view.<br /><br />Here were the best preserved orthostats with the sphinxes and lions that guarded them. Carvings of Egyptian Bes and obvious Persian symbols mingled with traditional Hittite art to create a beautiful fusion. I stood gazing at them for a time, camera held limply in one hand, forgotten in my racing thoughts. I jolted back to reality as I remembered how little time we had here. I had friends take pictures of me with some of the orthostats and the lions that guarded the entrance. I marveled at the nearly perfect carvings and finally at the maybe 2 meter high walls that were the remains of what had been fortifications. Restored by the excavators they stood as tribute to what men could do when they used their minds to better their lives.<br />We headed down the trail back toward the museum and I paused to look back at the gate standing serenely in the forest as it had for countless centuries. Light slanted through the trees casting even light across the gate allowing me a glimpse of history I’d never experienced before. In that moment I realized how different reality was from what you read in a book. Reality was so much better.<br />Hurrying down the trail I caught up with the group and asked them to take a picture of me walking down the forest trail alone.<br /><br />“and even in those places which were formerly feared,<br />where a man fears to walk the road,<br />so in my days a woman walks alone with her spindles.”<br />- from the Inscription of Azatiwatas at Karatepe<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5q5xL44qGo5bXcWqUQCUdXh_q7xIS2vS-LEl4g3kmMvj_gxtrwyFhvshko1ZRZVG9Yz50YYr3Ef__V5S0ZQPUDM_J-5jCuIn7PRTNJmZyxyAJ4W-AuCV6yzfs7Pd7bAOV8N7mHz4D1I/s1600-h/womanalone(3).JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 160px; HEIGHT: 242px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350067703736641714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5q5xL44qGo5bXcWqUQCUdXh_q7xIS2vS-LEl4g3kmMvj_gxtrwyFhvshko1ZRZVG9Yz50YYr3Ef__V5S0ZQPUDM_J-5jCuIn7PRTNJmZyxyAJ4W-AuCV6yzfs7Pd7bAOV8N7mHz4D1I/s320/womanalone(3).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Info on me<br />Name: Kirstie Hudson<br />Major: Classics and Ancient Mediterranean studies, potential double with Information Science and Technology<br />Year: Rising Sophomore<br />Age: 19 on July 6th.Kirstie Earlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09535480114283522419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-24770711199620060802009-06-16T03:45:00.000-05:002009-06-16T03:46:33.680-05:00First postHi all,<br /> My name is Ben and I'm having a good time in Turkey. I'm a rising senior at PSU majoring in CAMS and Religious Studies. This is my first field work in archaeology and my first time in Anatolia. My classmates and instructors are a pleasure to work with and I have much to update my family and friends on back in the States. So far we have intensely surveyed two sites and visited many others. Otherwise, we are worked like slaves (just kidding, kind of). Either way the weather is wonderful and the early wake-ups have established an edifying regimen. Hopefully the good habits I am picking up here will translate back home, if I return alive. Tomorrow we will be heading to Nimrud Dag (spelled in a plethora of ways), and it should be an exciting time despite the 12 hour round-trip bus ride. A few of our finds have been of some significance but otherwise a good amount of my classmates enjoy collecting amorphous rocks instead of sherds so that we may all scrub and discard of them (haha). Oh, and we've found a bunch of turtles, packs of wild dogs, feral cats (as many as squirrels are numbered in State College), snakes, lizards, and various spiders. Until next time...bww5039http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943299431038336005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-34901406344357835042009-06-15T11:39:00.001-05:002009-06-15T11:39:43.660-05:00Nemrut Dag<p>Yesterday we spent the day at Nemrut Dag.  Nemrut Dag is one of my favorite archaeological sites.  Built by Antiochus I Commagene during the first century B.C., the site sits atop Mount Nemrut.  The monument served as a place of worship for Antiochus and a series of both western and eastern deities.  The sites consists of a large tumulus, eastern and western terraces, and a large fire altar.  Simply amazing!  P.S. Sorry about the beard, going on 12 days without my bag!</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjZ4RCgR7kI/AAAAAAAAACo/k92Awtgg3U8/s1600-h/DSC007046.jpg"><img title="DSC00704" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="567" alt="DSC00704" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjZ4WTwVh1I/AAAAAAAAACs/wUz5VjsnZ-Y/DSC00704_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="756" border="0" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjZ4bUiKctI/AAAAAAAAACw/fmEiWV2obGA/s1600-h/DSC043445.jpg"><img title="DSC04344" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="568" alt="DSC04344" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjZ4iSmQWRI/AAAAAAAAAC0/1HG4Q6NADQY/DSC04344_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="756" border="0" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjZ4nfoEyFI/AAAAAAAAAC4/XmbeZX73M9c/s1600-h/DSC043545.jpg"><img title="DSC04354" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="567" alt="DSC04354" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjZ4tidhKNI/AAAAAAAAAC8/a9vwWsyDHmA/DSC04354_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="756" border="0" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjZ4y2zV-kI/AAAAAAAAADA/MdP391jDtm4/s1600-h/DSC043505.jpg"><img title="DSC04350" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="567" alt="DSC04350" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjZ47TwGQzI/AAAAAAAAADE/q4eFLq8R3Hw/DSC04350_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="756" border="0" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjZ5AsTNvhI/AAAAAAAAADI/ZYPCOot-LfE/s1600-h/PIC_00376.jpg"><img title="PIC_0037" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="569" alt="PIC_0037" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjZ5GTeMRzI/AAAAAAAAADM/6FhXQyomJFI/PIC_0037_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="756" border="0" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjZ5K8DG1eI/AAAAAAAAADQ/O7OV87iE5_4/s1600-h/4715.jpg"><img title="47 (1)" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="568" alt="47 (1)" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjZ5SrqQYCI/AAAAAAAAADU/w8CW5ngOinI/471_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="756" border="0" /></a></p> Brandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-61930654171308646252009-06-12T10:15:00.001-05:002009-06-12T10:15:45.766-05:00Ancient Alexandria (Iskenderun) and GIS<p>One of the primary goals of the 2009 Mopsos field season is to create topographic maps for a series of archaeological sites discovered during previous field seasons.  Most of the sites are mapped by taking several hundred points with a Total Station and uploading the data into ArcGIS to create the map.  The ancient city of Alexandria in modern Iskenderun must be mapped but modern development and urban sprawl have made Total Station mapping impossible.  One of my tasks this year is to rectify a series of municipal maps to a Quickbird satellite image and digitize all the modern roads and contour lines of the ancient city.  I have rectified all the municipal maps, digitized the roads, and, along with a student volunteer, have began the digitization of the contour lines.  The whole process will take some time but in the end we will have a nice accurate map of ancient Alexandria.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjJxDTO2SSI/AAAAAAAAACg/PS3fDHCeAG8/s1600-h/BlogPostcopy5.jpg"><img title="Blog Post copy" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="405" alt="Blog Post copy" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8ey_Tb-uito/SjJxH8ZB7YI/AAAAAAAAACk/J1xBuMoD_RE/BlogPostcopy_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="540" border="0" /></a></p> Brandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-41235631159546919712009-06-10T13:42:00.000-05:002009-06-10T13:44:20.929-05:00Intro ashley styleHELLO BLOGGERS!!! Or blog readers I never know who reads blogs, let alone what the reader wants to be called. You know you can never be too carful with those blogger types. Hey my name is Ashley Singletary, I will be a sophomore archaeological science /African American studies major next fall semester. I am here in turkey for Dr. Killebrew’s landscape archaeology Course as well as Dr. Hritz’s GIS course (for those who don’t know GIS= Geographic Information Systems). The Turkey landscape is amazing too bad I don’t know a lick of Turkish. I know I know before anyone says anything I’m learning little words here and there. Hopefully when I’m home I can continue learning the language, and come back fully charged and ready to rumble. Now that all of that introduction/small talk stuff is out of the way let’s talk about surveying. It’s not bad I could do without the waking up at 4 o’clock though. But being out in the field, looking through the sites, I feel like such a dork for saying this but hey I love it. The people here on the survey team are totally wicked. Because of all the recent happening in the fields the 4 girls in the group have already given each other nicknames. I’m sure the rest of the group will later introduce themselves, but just for the time being …. Nicole Tan is Thorns since she walked through a whole bush of them the other day. Tumbles is Kirstie Hudson self explanatory, Abby is the Navigator, I’m Black Arrow, and Joe is Gump as in Forest Gump, Chris and Ben didn’t get any names yet so I will keep you posted. Lately the group has been encountering the wildlife in the area by this I mean moths, turtles in the field, and now spiders! Yup I said it BIG ASS SPIDERS! Ask Brando aka Brandon he just had one in his bathroom! I will keep you guys posted on every fall, joke, and hilarious/historically moment. PeaceAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888819680852021531noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-50339248336742297072009-06-10T13:32:00.001-05:002009-06-10T13:34:16.683-05:00Hello!Hey everyone! Hello from Turkey!! We’ve been here for one week and five days, and it’s been amazing so far.<br /><br />My name is Nicole Tan, and I’m (going to be) a junior at Penn State University, studying Archaeological Sciences and Sociology. I heard about the study abroad to Turkey program way back in the first semester of my freshman year, when I took my freshman seminar with Dr. Killebrew. I couldn’t go that summer, but when I heard about it again last fall, I jumped on board!<br /><br />For the past week or so, we’ve been surveying at Dutlu Tarla and Dagilbaz Höyük, two related sites near Iskenderun. We’ve been doing random samples of 10 meter squares and working on taking points with a total station in order to create a topographic map of both sites. One of the most exciting finds so far has been pottery slag at Dutlu Tarla, meaning they were making pottery at that site, and an Iron Age potsherd from the top of Dagilbaz.<br /><br />I’m not going to talk about the total station. Suffice it to say that we made an offering to the god of technology two nights ago, and we’ll go from there.<br /><br />So, I was working on washing pottery out on the balcony earlier. All the pottery we collect from the survey squares has to be soaked, washed, sorted, read, and either discarded or properly documented. Anyway, someone decided to collect a shoe along with the pottery from one square. When I find out who that was…<br /><br />Right now a few of us are sitting in the classroom and talking about nicknames. I’m Thorns. :P<br /><br />Well, nice chatting! If you’re my mom, dad, brother, sister, friend, or boyfriend, just wanted to let you know I miss you, but I’m going to bring back great pictures!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07406854697961793639noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-78525997466965017022009-06-07T05:00:00.001-05:002009-06-07T05:00:11.957-05:00Still No Luggage<p>Unfortunately when I flew from Cyprus to Athens, Istanbul, and then Hatay my bag was lost along the way.  At the Hatay airport I was assured by the baggage claim person that my luggage would arrive in Hatay at 5:00 pm the next day.  After a follow-up phone call, I was told that it did not make that flight but would be on the 12:00 am flight.  Now I just heard that they have no idea when or if it will arrive.  Although it is a little annoying being without clothes, bathroom essentials, and various electrical (GPS and camera) cords, I really wish I could go out in the field.  A pair of shorts, a dirty t-shirt, and sandals are not the ideal attire for survey in Turkey.  So for the last few days I have been rectifying maps and writing up the GIS final.  I sure hope that bag comes soon.</p> Brandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-38135026886973512882009-06-06T04:40:00.001-05:002009-06-06T04:40:38.434-05:00Welcome<p>Welcome everyone to the 2009 season of the Mopsos Survey Project.  My name is Brandon Olson.  I am a PhD candidate at Penn State University and this is my second year with the Mopsos Survey.  We will have several blog contributors this year offering perspectives and thoughts from their experiences during the field season.  Enjoy!</p> Brandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-79568603982469308342008-10-08T11:25:00.000-05:002008-10-08T11:26:36.479-05:00Turkey Recruitment Flyer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nI69Bk5yq81OM-G4IpSlMD9YdnAnoNZjoLTX8lp16OxSvMQCMn99SUPAGU75fIKFI6y_FYJVn00RtZMnU9VN_dyAEEIkPCwbfsZ8PFfGnBhhIo3d4_gihPRMM9_0LNfhcYywU2vJ6Ys/s1600-h/Turkey+Flyer.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254820221674098978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nI69Bk5yq81OM-G4IpSlMD9YdnAnoNZjoLTX8lp16OxSvMQCMn99SUPAGU75fIKFI6y_FYJVn00RtZMnU9VN_dyAEEIkPCwbfsZ8PFfGnBhhIo3d4_gihPRMM9_0LNfhcYywU2vJ6Ys/s400/Turkey+Flyer.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Brandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-68053431017073960642008-09-26T13:12:00.001-05:002008-09-26T13:14:32.521-05:00Mopsos Survey Project 2009The dates for the Mopsos Survey have been finalized (May 28-June 25th). I have been asked to help with recruitment for next year. For anyone who may be interested please visit the Penn State study abroad website for Turkey at: <a href="http://www.outreach.psu.edu/summerabroad/study-turkey/">http://www.outreach.psu.edu/summerabroad/study-turkey/</a> The project offers several courses including landscape archaeology, advanced landscape archaeology, GIS for archaeologists, and there are opportunities for independent studies. Course and project fees will be finalized soon and posted on the study abroad website. I recommend the project for anyone interested in archaeology (beginner or graduate student), GIS, or traveling. Please email me at <a href="mailto:bro118@psu.edu">bro118@psu.edu</a> for any and all questions.Brandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-74867237794673043272008-07-29T10:49:00.003-05:002008-08-01T20:40:52.492-05:00A Post from the Prodigal BloggerI have been incommunicado for the vast majority of this field season. That is partly due to the immense shame Brandon et al. have instilled in me by being extremely proficient bloggers. It is also due to the fact that I spent the majority of my time doing GIS work in the lab, and to be honest, we are trying to attract more readers, not bore them to tears.<br /><br />However, since the end of the 2008 field season, I have been steadily making my way northwards in a zigzagging pattern to reach my flight leaving Istanbul on August 4th. I will post an entry for each new stop along the way.<br /><br />The remaining members of the Mopsos Project parted ways early in the morning on June 27th in Adana. Mike, Muge and Dr. Scham left around 2:30 in the morning from the Osta Hotel and Amanda and Dr. Killebrew departed a few hours later. I woke up around 7 AM that morning to find myself alone in Turkey. Thankfully, Muge and Volkan had prepared me for making my way in a Turkish world.<br /><br />My goal for that day was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konya">Konya</a>. Most of what I could tell you about Konya is not much more than you could find on Wikipedia. I was going primarily for its proximity to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catal_hoyuk">Çatal Höyük</a>--one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. Çatal Höyük, located about an hour away from Konya, is known primarily as one of the earliest cases of human sedentism and permanent architecture in the world. It is also the site where the well-known archaeologist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Hodder">Ian Hodder</a> has conducted much of his work.<br /><br />Konya itself is known mainly in the West as the birthplace of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mevlevi">Mevlevi Order</a> of Sufic Islam (aka "whirling dervishes"). Again, Wikipedia can provide more information than I possibly could. However, I must say that I found comfort in one of the Mevlana's most famous sayings as I explored the city:<br /><i><br />Come, come, whoever you are,<br />Wanderer, idolater, worshiper of fire,<br />Come even though you have broken your vows a thousand times,<br />Come, and come yet again.<br />Ours is not a caravan of despair.<br /><br /></i><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><i><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"></span></i>Next up: Göreme </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-32119766443560234382008-07-24T14:23:00.002-05:002008-11-13T00:57:12.986-05:00Mopsos Survey 2008 Comes to an End<p>Today marked the end of the Mopsos Survey season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Students continue to frantically finish their journals and photo databases while staff enter last minute data and complete their field reports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To bring the season to a proper conclusion we had a barbeque.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The basketball, football, and grilled meat marked the perfect end to a great season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For the record, however, it is never a good idea to play basketball and football with a broken rib!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Below I have posted pictures of the festivities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I now let you ponder what is going on with Thad’s hand in the basketball picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was right there and could not figure it out. Thanks for the great season everyone, see you next year.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JDWuVlJFIaBubmd9KW7cgqsVQgeQzaF-IZgYLpuqKGUP93RN9-bVt4xtdebagfsV7QyStEo67_I2k86uNP7lF8qz7wQHfYGPHmTtnFhJjjmQeZiQ-EpMpgybhiQFTzYHxTa-Fe9_SV4/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229729747078433986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JDWuVlJFIaBubmd9KW7cgqsVQgeQzaF-IZgYLpuqKGUP93RN9-bVt4xtdebagfsV7QyStEo67_I2k86uNP7lF8qz7wQHfYGPHmTtnFhJjjmQeZiQ-EpMpgybhiQFTzYHxTa-Fe9_SV4/s320/1.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrP6ERZXW7H3FV7idHgKjtGpysRU_zER9qL-k2n73j9l_Exedq4nh3ka7PyhcPMcXzGbXSH4qQSqb997JfEAXOvfbCo0sXuPjwj2vqWgkkh9CXsyMbj5MoArx20R_YDopCJdlgq11P4s/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229730221138977570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrP6ERZXW7H3FV7idHgKjtGpysRU_zER9qL-k2n73j9l_Exedq4nh3ka7PyhcPMcXzGbXSH4qQSqb997JfEAXOvfbCo0sXuPjwj2vqWgkkh9CXsyMbj5MoArx20R_YDopCJdlgq11P4s/s320/4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vkcoLpSwHBcpi3fWngJ6gfKRTCxtod6kDxqafmHEl3vIm8ZHONnWCJVi1KStFImPHuFAV9OkPXPJYUGOW7OTqn9hPdfSExI0_6UJbavNCwp8nsRIwAHFK_gRH_kUxsVHVujg18X64R8/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229730145219305890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vkcoLpSwHBcpi3fWngJ6gfKRTCxtod6kDxqafmHEl3vIm8ZHONnWCJVi1KStFImPHuFAV9OkPXPJYUGOW7OTqn9hPdfSExI0_6UJbavNCwp8nsRIwAHFK_gRH_kUxsVHVujg18X64R8/s320/3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyQK0LfZ6WgG4FiIIjIbIdiFPvopjok8zLj7X6GFxljZBp3aMj4kNjRz6GnEoz1qqveWAFiSsuVxHZN_JCMZzKZizgFsln1iClzrbu7XlLUxdRoESK2KCLUBVonNm4B03fQuGYM_aV7o/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229730047699021666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyQK0LfZ6WgG4FiIIjIbIdiFPvopjok8zLj7X6GFxljZBp3aMj4kNjRz6GnEoz1qqveWAFiSsuVxHZN_JCMZzKZizgFsln1iClzrbu7XlLUxdRoESK2KCLUBVonNm4B03fQuGYM_aV7o/s320/2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Brandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-54651512871812732602008-07-22T22:46:00.002-05:002008-11-13T00:57:13.510-05:00Last Day of Survey<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalukcB-7SlPki7NOUT_bYZwqbXQxlfuPcQ9ztpJE19WBE7DHlPkuZWpPh2gM2_Z7_WOIg33T1Y0UAkc5nq-hd2MV9uoGVtByCwyvPBHJRwqKTnsX5Sft_tYi8b8y1BHSBOIn1J7P6Nr8/s1600-h/7-21-08+045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalukcB-7SlPki7NOUT_bYZwqbXQxlfuPcQ9ztpJE19WBE7DHlPkuZWpPh2gM2_Z7_WOIg33T1Y0UAkc5nq-hd2MV9uoGVtByCwyvPBHJRwqKTnsX5Sft_tYi8b8y1BHSBOIn1J7P6Nr8/s320/7-21-08+045.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Today was our last survey day of the season, and our first act this morning was to survey a höyük site with a dense concentration of pottery that covered the summit and the northeastern area of the hill.I was tasked with marking the edge of the site with a GPS; I found myself walking downhill though thick lime orchards, looking (for what seemed a very long time) in vain for the edge of the site. I kept finding ceramic roof tiles, handles to vessels, even a large fragment of a pithos – tough meets classy, friends. This concentration eventually visibly thinned about 200 m northeast from the base of the hill, and came to an abrupt end in a school yard and some buildings. I also headed west, and found the site dropped off a lot sooner. We also found a number of sherds of medieval and Ottoman pottery, types we have not found a great deal of during this survey, surprisingly. These sherds have a distinctive green glaze, still attractive after hundreds of years. The local man who owns the land at the top of the höyük said that he has found many examples of this style of pottery there. We also learned today from the same man that much soil quarrying has gone on in this location. This is an agricultural practice where large amounts of soil are excavated from the area and shipped to other, less fertile areas. You can imagine what disconcerting implications this has for archaeology, especially surface survey. We got the impression that it may not have been to areas too far from the höyük site, but still, it seems that the archaeological record in the area could be quite mixed up.<br /><br />We later visited a site located near the remains of a Roman aqueduct, on foothills overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the Amanus Mountains.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjo4PfdOQe_68SI07HO1Hsa8vpaDzC9hLvCgu16DApkdjXHsEN2_igMKuZAakBKsJDo6tU3v9IsfVDUCDP5Yfi-Uo9L2RwW_DP4o8h35QUZcPzBcRxOPRPHDOAo0C6IcBzrETIQU22r4/s1600-h/7-21-08+054.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjo4PfdOQe_68SI07HO1Hsa8vpaDzC9hLvCgu16DApkdjXHsEN2_igMKuZAakBKsJDo6tU3v9IsfVDUCDP5Yfi-Uo9L2RwW_DP4o8h35QUZcPzBcRxOPRPHDOAo0C6IcBzrETIQU22r4/s320/7-21-08+054.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This site was huge; we were not able to sample nearly the entire area today, but we still found a great number of roof tiles, and also a large amount of fineware, among other ceramic remains. It was not a bad setting to wrap up the season in, either. Hasta la vista, Cilicia.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDXgu99458Mp4RaJ1GXDwiZ2TCZEMWdckqiAXt0KLDtVmXmb32D6_rSxjC7FVBGT5uWxRBK63ekbHOhlK6PncIR8VBXtEjiYp4ULQxAZgxl9SumqUYWmlUzOTTMExozBKPaVoqCF2VsM/s1600-h/7-21-08+072.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDXgu99458Mp4RaJ1GXDwiZ2TCZEMWdckqiAXt0KLDtVmXmb32D6_rSxjC7FVBGT5uWxRBK63ekbHOhlK6PncIR8VBXtEjiYp4ULQxAZgxl9SumqUYWmlUzOTTMExozBKPaVoqCF2VsM/s320/7-21-08+072.jpg" border="0" /></a><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-26678555236642031052008-07-21T04:36:00.001-05:002008-07-21T04:37:42.993-05:00Project Slowly Winding Down<p>Today several students stayed back from the field to work on assignments and personal projects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Jeff worked on his photo database, field journal, and GIS work on hydrography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Andrea also worked on her photo database and field journal and then marked pottery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thad continues to work on his research paper while Juan spent the majority of the day marking pottery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I spent the day putting the final touches on my GIS project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Below I have posted the project report.</p><p>After consultation with Pete I decided to work on a GIS project in the Payas River area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Starting with the Quad maps, contour maps, Corona images, and aerial photographs I determined that the Quad maps and Corona images would be the best sources for my project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The goal of the project is to use the Quad maps and Corona images to create a survey methodology for the Payas River, the proposed location of the Battle of Issus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The best way to prove or disprove the Payas River battlefield thesis is through pedestrian survey with a well-designed methodology.</p><p>According to the classical sources the length of the Issus battlefield was 2.4 kilometers from the coast to the foot of the Amanus Mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Furthermore, the sources note that Alexander marched from Myiandros to the battlefield in a day and fought the next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There are three major rivers north of Myriandros and southeast of Issus, which scholars have noted as the battlefield site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If one accepts the classical narratives, the battlefield must be within a day’s walking distance from Myriandros and measure (now or in the past) 2.4 kilometers from the coast to the mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>According to the geomorphologist the Payas River, which today measures 4 kilometers in width, measured 2.4 kilometers in antiquity and was the site for the great battle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p>I began my GIS project by georeferencing the Quad maps with the Corona images.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This essentially aligned the two images.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I then set the Quad maps at 60% transparency so the modern development depicted on the Quad maps could be seen on the Corona images.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I then created a feature class where I could draw the current coastline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With the current coastline in place I copied the line and moved it 1.6 kilometers inland so that it would represent a projected ancient coastline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Given the arbitrary nature of the ancient coastline projection I added a 200 meter buffer line on both sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The GIS map depicts the projected ancient coastline with a buffer zone, modern coastline, modern development that would restrict certain areas to survey, and the Payas River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><br /></p><p>Using the measuring tool I determined that the site of Myriandros is approximately 22 miles from the Payas River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The two remaining contenders are further north of the Payas River, which suggests that if the classical sources are correct and the site of Myriandros was correctly identified the Payas River appears to be the most likely site for the infamous battle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To further support the Payas River battlefield theory a survey must be conducted on both sides of the proposed ancient coastline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If the Payas River was the ancient Pinarus there should not be pre-Classical material west of the proposed ancient coastline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If there is material, however, the Payas River cannot have hosted the Battle of Issus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p>Brandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-70682815346235860722008-07-20T13:13:00.001-05:002008-11-13T00:57:14.140-05:00Beach Day at ArsuzYesterday we spent our free day in Arsuz. Since it was our first day off, we spent the majority of our time either at the beach or one of the many fine restaurants. There was one rule, no archaeology talk. Needless to say most of us are archaeology dorks and the rule was broken a few times. The highlight of the trip was the two tackle football games on the beach. The locals looked at us in utter disbelief but we did convince a few to play. Below I have posted a picture of our group at the wonderful beach.<br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBu0tcUy8-RZZyURwo2qWDdZ4ff9ThjUcZUzOIFYdTOksKiredVnxhNWpW6Oc2jRWfYZbdLTy03xCH7x9NxVqfpKKJo01b6xqJ88ZlDorEEQFS3js7DxIThdj3zxa0eac_6NLg__U7O9c/s1600-h/Group.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBu0tcUy8-RZZyURwo2qWDdZ4ff9ThjUcZUzOIFYdTOksKiredVnxhNWpW6Oc2jRWfYZbdLTy03xCH7x9NxVqfpKKJo01b6xqJ88ZlDorEEQFS3js7DxIThdj3zxa0eac_6NLg__U7O9c/s320/Group.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A small group spent the day in the Payas area north of Iskenderun. Depending on which theory one ascribes to, the Payas River was the location of the infamous Battle of Issus. At the battle Alexander the Great routed the massive Persian army on his way through Anatolia. Our geomorphologist has written an article arguing for the Payas River as the location for the battle. Today was more of a reconnaissance day rather than archaeological survey. We observed the geology of the river system and the archaeological sites in the area. As it currently stands the distance from the coast to the foot of the Amanus Mountains by way of the Payas River is approximately 4 kilometers. According to the classical sources the width of the Issus battlefield (from the coast to the foot of the mountains by way of the Pinarus River) was 2.6 kilometers. Our geomorphologist argues that in the last 2300 years the coastline at the mouth of the Payas River receded 1.4 kilometers. Our brief observation of the current coast, however, yielded a sizeable Late Roman/Byzantine site with a visible foundation. This throws a little doubt on the argument that the Payas River was the ancient Pinarus and thus the battlefield site. One of the site directors questioned how the site could be there if the coastline receded 1.4 kilometers over the last two millennia. One would expect the late Roman site (say 600 A.D. as a conservative estimation for the coastal site) to be situated further from the coast. Below I have posted pictures of the Payas River showing the significant modern development of the Iskenderun Bay.<br /></div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Y_sR1robZHafnckPwhOKgspPZ_FDx_gfM91gzCi7XgqPJDfQwgIdSVsrK1yy6aoxpor9Z24_sTVrVjHHr6ih24Xdla7BoQ6nmEY3wYAKKDtmAQZtsTgk8kCKOLnAib-eoHyXpVbxA4s/s1600-h/Payas+1.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Y_sR1robZHafnckPwhOKgspPZ_FDx_gfM91gzCi7XgqPJDfQwgIdSVsrK1yy6aoxpor9Z24_sTVrVjHHr6ih24Xdla7BoQ6nmEY3wYAKKDtmAQZtsTgk8kCKOLnAib-eoHyXpVbxA4s/s320/Payas+1.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmUZrfWn6Q1XsHqzebz1Xb4FKesuYX0-WoiCVRi0Gh6C4RbP5_44iqZO8wbNed8KiC0nxXJ8hnYbss_mCqlNPJuDTOgpMjxkG48rUnKpTib9rqG2bYbfI0U5juTfhyMVh4_92xDmL1ag/s1600-h/Payas+2.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmUZrfWn6Q1XsHqzebz1Xb4FKesuYX0-WoiCVRi0Gh6C4RbP5_44iqZO8wbNed8KiC0nxXJ8hnYbss_mCqlNPJuDTOgpMjxkG48rUnKpTib9rqG2bYbfI0U5juTfhyMVh4_92xDmL1ag/s320/Payas+2.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-78983853687792564882008-07-17T21:35:00.000-05:002008-07-17T21:37:29.299-05:00Stories and LegendsHello all -<br /><br />Thad Olson here – your guest blogger for a day. I'm a 2nd year grad student in the history department at Penn State. This is my first archaeological experience, and one of my favorite parts of the experience has been hearing the wealth of stories and legends related to us by the people we have met. The richness of the religious and mythical landscape here is fascinating.<br /><br />Many of the stories we have heard have come from old men we meet in coffee shops when we stop for breakfast. We've learned to ask if there are any old men in town who know the old stories well. We've had a lot of success with this, and thought we would share some of our favorite stories with you.<br /><br />Most of the stories we've encountered have related to huyuks (earth mounds) on which we've found ancient artifacts. They often center on a treasure buried in the hill long ago, and some kind of guardian creature or being who protects the treasure. It is interesting to note that the villiagers have similar ideas about the mounds that we do – there's buried treasure to be found!<br /><br />Here's a selection of the stories we've encountered thus far:<br /><br />1) At Tell al-Abd, a steep high hill which contained Bronze age pottery, a local man named Nihat told us that before the time of Alexander the Great, the local people had buried precious and magical weapons in the hill. Since the weapons were buried, a giant has protected the hill and the weapons as a guardian spirit.<br />2) At UcGulluk, a small hill near town which contained Bronze Age through Roman material, Nihat told us that a magical rooster guards the hill. He believes the rooster may be guarding a treasure. The magical rooster used to crow about 4AM, but it has not been seen for about 20 years. Many of the older people in town claim to have seen the rooster prior to 20 years ago.<br />3) Near UcGulluk, Nihat and another villiager Sezai lead us to a small stream, which they believe has healing powers. The spring has been mostly covered with dirt by the villiagers, as its water is not good for the olive trees growing nearby. Nihat and Sezai believe the spring cures skin diseases.<br />4) Nihat also pointed out another hill near the sacred spring, which he says is guarded by a magic goat. Around 1000 years ago, people buried weapons on that hill, and now the goat guards the hill.<br />5) Another hill near UcGulluk, which we did not see, was reported by Nihat and Sezai to be guarded by a woman with the lower body of a snake.<br />6) In the town of Mandenli, a man named Ali showed us a classical site on a hill near town. A modern cemetary is located on the top of the hill, and many members of Ali's family were buried there. According to Ali, a magic rooster has also appeared at this site. During the lifetime of Ali's father (who died in 1990), an Imam came to sleep on the hill and try to discern the reason for its holy nature, but was unable to understand what made the site holy. In addition to the rooster, from under the tomb of Ali's uncle, a spring now moistens the ground, which Ali believes to be a miracle. At the same site, 2 years ago, a light appeared in the sky during a wedding, which Ali believes to have been a miracle.<br />7) In the town of Beykoyu, an 84 year old man named Çemil told us a story about a huyuk near his house, upon which we found Bronze Age pottery. A few hundred years ago, a man named Abdul found a door into the hillside with light coming out. Inside the doorway was a woman with two dogs. Slipping into the doorway, the man was able to steal a silver bowl, which was very heavy, before the woman ordered the dogs to attack. He just managed to slip out before the door slammed shut behind him. Çemil claimed to have seen this bowl himself. Some time ago, the bowl was sold to a man from a town near Iskenderun.<br /><br />My own studies at Penn State have focused a lot on early Roman and Italian religious systems, and listening to the amazing stories we've encountered here have given me something of a new appreciation for early twentieth century scholars like James Frazier and W. Warde-Fowler, who tried to use then-current anthropological theories to explain the emergence of religion. Warde-Fowler in particular wrote a lot about the emergence of early Roman religion in terms of vaguely understood spirits or powers known as numen. Warde-Fowler thought about these numen as protective powers often tied to specific places, some of which eventually developed into the well-known dieties of the classical Roman pantheon. The stories we are hearing in Turkey seem like they could fit very nicely into what Warde-Fowler was saying about the development of early Roman religion. Today, most students of classical polytheism have rejected the anthropological models of religious development proposed by Warde-Fowler and his generation. There are many reasons for this, but three important ones are that 1) archaeological evidence became increasingly available which could be used to test these theories (they didn't hold up well) 2) Anglophone scholars became increasingly aware that German scholarship had long since passed them by (and in fact, had never really adopted English anthropological models) 3) It was realized that there was really no evidence at all to support the elaborate theories created by Warde-Fowler and his successors. Today, scholers such as John Scheid, Mary Beard and others are increasingly returning to the use of anthropological models to explain the emergence of Roman religion, but todays scholars are much more cautious in their approach and much less speculative. I suppose all of this is a reminder to use the utmost caution in utilizing a comparative methodology in your research. On another level, though, hearing stories like these has been personally very useful as a reminder that my own preconceptions can get in the way of understanding others, both ancient and modern. And despite the fact that Warde-Fowler is today seen as quite out of style, I do think there is some insight into early religion to be gained by reflecting on these old stories from the villiages.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-12257800394373322002008-07-16T07:52:00.004-05:002008-11-13T00:57:14.492-05:00Ancient Kiln SiteToday we surveyed around Beykelu, a little way inland from where we were yesterday.<span style=""> </span>Many of the sites we visited were sites that were observed in 19<sup>th</sup>-century travel narratives but never surveyed.<span style=""> </span>The first site was a höyük that had some recent disturbance to its surface when the town dug irrigation channels.<span style=""> </span>The construction resulted in many artifacts being brought up to the surface on an otherwise unplowed hilltop.<span style=""> </span>The majority of our finds there were Bronze Age and Iron Age potsherds, periods which typically do not have such high artifact densities on the surface.<span style=""> </span>We conducted an extensive survey of the hilltop and slopes (several of which were plowed), dividing the entire area into 7 quadrants total and bagging the finds for each quadrant separately.<span style=""> </span>In my experience, many of these earlier sites have very few artifacts on the surface, and those that are on the surface tend to be worn-down body sherds that are not very helpful for dating or any other diagnostic analysis.<span style=""> </span>This site, however, had an overwhelming presence of diagnostic pieces such as bases, handles, and rims, along with some decorated sherds.<span style=""> </span>Other interesting finds were multiple stones that were worn down in the middle, as you can see below, indicating that they had been used as grinding stones.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQM99KZB0omy5oz7odmFsi0WO5pOaTQpI7FVAIFd0gpnr3NS9rfKvlcSaMbXNJRvDgVx1hyz9IBEifh2OFFRhtzXbD2jdbEpOilKcDNlXuDiCJRjoZOiRX_G4EbSgBckFBO6bKDiQfIT0d/s1600-h/grindstone.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQM99KZB0omy5oz7odmFsi0WO5pOaTQpI7FVAIFd0gpnr3NS9rfKvlcSaMbXNJRvDgVx1hyz9IBEifh2OFFRhtzXbD2jdbEpOilKcDNlXuDiCJRjoZOiRX_G4EbSgBckFBO6bKDiQfIT0d/s320/grindstone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223594383251862034" border="0" /></a><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps the most interesting find, however, was a few bitrified sherds, which have a yellowish sheen on their outer surface as a result of being overfired in the kiln.<span style=""> </span>Now since this area of Cilicia was known in Roman times as a major center for pottery production, kiln sites have been a consideration in the back of our minds since we got here, so the discovery of these sherds was pretty exciting.<span style=""> </span>In the same area we also found ceramic slag, which is overfired clay, so it definitely seems like we found an ancient kiln site on the top of this höyük. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We surveyed several other sites today as well, one of which had a huge white stone that legend says sits atop a pile of gold.<span style=""> </span>It turns out this stone was part of an ancient olive press, so unless those infamous Cilician pirates and bandits buried their plunder under an old olive press, I’m not so optimistic about the veracity of this tale.<span style=""> </span>For more on the olive press, you can check out Brandon Olson’s blog at http://historicalarchaeologyintheancientmediterranean.typepad.com.<span style=""> </span>We met several locals who seemed very squeamish about letting us poke around too much, so our time at some of the sites was relatively brief.<span style=""> </span>One of our local guides was even armed with a giant rifle, apparently for hunting wild boar in the hills and mountains.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUt7381YgyIYTfsY2IfxryYvrkUoJfWbdpxc-zHylz61vMy-3ua2iL7nNfNdGDMDHTF0Yik4GNNAeNf-GhhCPpn2kDiwhcg_gz8VPnXkhcDPwClTEeh7d1_Q9qiloMEP5TSurVba9oPp4I/s1600-h/gunman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUt7381YgyIYTfsY2IfxryYvrkUoJfWbdpxc-zHylz61vMy-3ua2iL7nNfNdGDMDHTF0Yik4GNNAeNf-GhhCPpn2kDiwhcg_gz8VPnXkhcDPwClTEeh7d1_Q9qiloMEP5TSurVba9oPp4I/s320/gunman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223594788570312914" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-65115851865931587392008-07-14T10:55:00.000-05:002008-11-13T00:57:15.469-05:00Survey continued today around the small village of Ucgulluk. We have focused on the area’s many huyuks and documented several archaeological sites. Two of the more interesting sites, from my perspective, from today were the looted tombs and a large tunnel, which probably functioned as an ancient mine. The area with the looted tombs was a sad sight. Several sarcophagi fragments, roof tiles, and pottery littered the hilltop and fields below. The disheartening part was the half a dozen looter holes dug right into the graves. Looting of archaeological sites has been an issue forever but the evidence we discovered today was all very recent. A small dirt trail was constructed across the site, which likely uncovered the tombs. Once uncovered, the looters pillaged the site.<br /><br />One of the local farmers notified us of a large cave outside of the village. We were able to locate and document it. A few of us were more than happy to do a little exploring but because we did not have a flashlight we could not go too far. The walls were clearly cut but the function of the tunnel remains unclear. Below I have posted pictures of the pillaged tomb site and Mike, Andrea, and I in the cave.<br /><br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWWz76xJfD82VJCqIQFy5WvDg-pur_axS3hyphenhyphenxDd4PAwjnwzJdK3yzbwbsBzkohPxQGj5VPnJtbtll2IWjMZzdyoTC_ecfn2T7Cv1eDy5sAoV4jMSYRnMZLMY5lcupMSFnNdwOVJTivd-0/s1600-h/Looted+Burials.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWWz76xJfD82VJCqIQFy5WvDg-pur_axS3hyphenhyphenxDd4PAwjnwzJdK3yzbwbsBzkohPxQGj5VPnJtbtll2IWjMZzdyoTC_ecfn2T7Cv1eDy5sAoV4jMSYRnMZLMY5lcupMSFnNdwOVJTivd-0/s320/Looted+Burials.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3KpInE8QacHmapRQe7XrTDC4Y6CydCVeDTDwVShNnYVMUfQdFOYS12dr15dYK93i4BVEO9aOUWC_ptVtRxJkVzeJAX2ffdrJpk_svqpv9ib24mEdRThRshTEiG5mzqlG6ZvmX9kFDEM/s1600-h/Brandon.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3KpInE8QacHmapRQe7XrTDC4Y6CydCVeDTDwVShNnYVMUfQdFOYS12dr15dYK93i4BVEO9aOUWC_ptVtRxJkVzeJAX2ffdrJpk_svqpv9ib24mEdRThRshTEiG5mzqlG6ZvmX9kFDEM/s320/Brandon.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPfJIvNNeUXZuizwoJ5cOZWn4Q-o8lWGqkL9KotBkOd6zseHiqO9pJgiOxco-NEj5wpQFrSY2KpsRz5bzUNQys1dtcIJaeQ2pCi7Sm-QA638OZlk21ND6E84Phjcq7u6uDJPINp_dHYU/s1600-h/Andrea.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPfJIvNNeUXZuizwoJ5cOZWn4Q-o8lWGqkL9KotBkOd6zseHiqO9pJgiOxco-NEj5wpQFrSY2KpsRz5bzUNQys1dtcIJaeQ2pCi7Sm-QA638OZlk21ND6E84Phjcq7u6uDJPINp_dHYU/s320/Andrea.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ95GwMlCGJRsZ4D6lobDPVEkLO1cQQAekjRjyNFYNaTjx6NNAm9KDLa7PwlH1CguhTAKgnPNFEjWd8G23Vt5kguYB2rkoLhyAAk2sxyslOwhe53QGcrS43XqbtnR0rt45q79vtkH6yOo/s1600-h/Mike.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ95GwMlCGJRsZ4D6lobDPVEkLO1cQQAekjRjyNFYNaTjx6NNAm9KDLa7PwlH1CguhTAKgnPNFEjWd8G23Vt5kguYB2rkoLhyAAk2sxyslOwhe53QGcrS43XqbtnR0rt45q79vtkH6yOo/s320/Mike.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Brandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-6834056181824999652008-07-13T14:33:00.004-05:002008-11-13T00:57:15.832-05:00Field trip to Urfa<p class="MsoNormal">On Friday night we returned from an overnight field trip to southeastern Turkey.<span style=""> </span>We left Thursday afternoon to drive to Urfa (ancient Edessa and the supposed birthplace of the prophet Abraham).<span style=""> </span>The drive was about 6 hours, so we were forced to find ways to occupy ourselves.<span style=""> </span>Below you will see one of our favorite bus trip pastimes – drawing on the faces of those who dared to fall asleep.<span style=""> </span>Brandon started it all by drawing on Mike’s face, so then I drew on Brandon.<span style=""> </span>He had no idea until we stopped at a restaurant for drinks and the waiters started laughing at him.<span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqE8REWDMyKXzjHXDnSEjoXJ4257H7QAvYKa2ei2tuShVNXfYJ-nJAc17NPQJtkSwvK0-wTO_jxtfYN3jNiZRS2jLKhDdJ02fdhfxbIpKp9Vf8groR0Jt90_C9P9PIMRVTMxrnaN2y1sRS/s1600-h/marker+face.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqE8REWDMyKXzjHXDnSEjoXJ4257H7QAvYKa2ei2tuShVNXfYJ-nJAc17NPQJtkSwvK0-wTO_jxtfYN3jNiZRS2jLKhDdJ02fdhfxbIpKp9Vf8groR0Jt90_C9P9PIMRVTMxrnaN2y1sRS/s320/marker+face.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222585643848206578" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The restaurant was on the banks of the Euphrates River, one of the most important rivers in ancient Near Eastern history.<span style=""> </span>The Euphrates, along with the Tigris River to the east, formed the borders of ancient Mesopotamia and was vital to many ancient empires, including the Babylonians and Assyrians.<span style=""> </span>Several of the students decided to take a swim in the freezing waters of the Euphrates on our way east and/or on our way back, and it was incredibly refreshing in the extreme heat.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">After arriving in Urfa late on Thursday night, we made a quick stop by Abraham’s Pond (below) and the Church of St. John the Baptist, as well as Urfa Castle.<span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS30LLYXcjeR_XgmBIR_13BLz71g0MaP4wyaZGKIvJpK46nZHBJh5Jt2YxklWUJ3EITAOAzf8uItI64MCfAowpy1H9vczhk01ZNZ0XcPpUZHbXMZLQPSOWMWRENX8LFtskAeocZIbIyXmn/s1600-h/abraham's+pond.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS30LLYXcjeR_XgmBIR_13BLz71g0MaP4wyaZGKIvJpK46nZHBJh5Jt2YxklWUJ3EITAOAzf8uItI64MCfAowpy1H9vczhk01ZNZ0XcPpUZHbXMZLQPSOWMWRENX8LFtskAeocZIbIyXmn/s320/abraham's+pond.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222586385082462146" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">We then ate dinner in one of the two restaurants in the entire city that serve alcohol since the Muslim population there tends to be quite conservative.<span style=""> </span>Friday morning we ventured to the archaeological museum, which brags to hold the oldest monumental architecture in human history, a statue dating to the tenth millennium BC.<span style=""> </span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QDgwq54sKCXJLiaAUjJvH82VdTJZPhXBw6ntbMl3J88sYol7gVY7eLz89Baxdr2uIS-4J-6xnpcs_WYtMqr-AlW8er6o_xJN66xo_zr4D4Rifw-rrqmj4tSeOdBwxCWomrDwSCB66BR5/s1600-h/jeff+statue.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QDgwq54sKCXJLiaAUjJvH82VdTJZPhXBw6ntbMl3J88sYol7gVY7eLz89Baxdr2uIS-4J-6xnpcs_WYtMqr-AlW8er6o_xJN66xo_zr4D4Rifw-rrqmj4tSeOdBwxCWomrDwSCB66BR5/s320/jeff+statue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222586777139665810" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">We also had the fortune to visit a rescue excavation in the old city center where they had stumbled upon a 5<sup>th</sup>-6<sup>th</sup> century AD structure while extending the sewer system.<span style=""> </span>The complex is a huge building with many large and ornate mosaics.<span style=""> </span>They uncovered one for us which depicted four Amazon queens hunting wild beasts, and the detail and precision was remarkable.<span style=""> </span>We then journeyed on to a site about an hour away from the city called Gobekli Tepe, which some have suggested was the Garden of Eden.<span style=""> </span>Amanda will be posting a blog with more details on this site.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We had hoped to have time after Gobekli Tepe to visit Harran, noteworthy among other things for its place along Abraham’s journey to the Promised Land and as the site of the triumvir Crassus’ murder in 53 BC.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for the extra leg of the journey and instead took an hour to wander through Urfa’s beautiful bazaar, where there were sold beautiful textiles, aromatic spices, and glistening jewelry.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We returned to Guzelyayla on Friday evening, tired and energized from more face-drawing and Euphrates-swimming adventures.<span style=""> </span>It isn’t every day that you get to journey into southeastern Turkey and see archaeological sites off of the normal tourist track, so we were all very thrilled.<span style=""> </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-70969381830852638732008-07-12T07:16:00.007-05:002008-11-13T00:57:17.149-05:007-12-08 Juan Höyük, Fire, and Roman GravesToday, local villagers took us to sites they knew of in the area of Arsuz. The first site they showed us was a höyük (tel) with Roman, Hellenistic, Persian, and even Early Bronze ceramic remains lying on the surface. Much of the earlier material had been washed down from the top of the höyük, and we found most of the oldest sherds around the base of the mound. The höyük also featured a cut about 2 m high along one of its sides in which we saw large sherds in situ:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kaXbPAabELUgg6x0jPeoLaG_qBV6u8RzjSiFqNZNsGeNH6SDKVYkUQHdSFbBz5qodcBNJwVaTM1TRLVQmL7FmMh-7fi8YjZvklbFQ4_dIX1y3OOw289rAVJAZghKUWFnN_FLGufgwLE/s1600-h/DSC06885.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kaXbPAabELUgg6x0jPeoLaG_qBV6u8RzjSiFqNZNsGeNH6SDKVYkUQHdSFbBz5qodcBNJwVaTM1TRLVQmL7FmMh-7fi8YjZvklbFQ4_dIX1y3OOw289rAVJAZghKUWFnN_FLGufgwLE/s320/DSC06885.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222102299822269506" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Juan was on fire today; he kept finding impressive fragments, so we named the site "Juan Höyük." Here he is beside the cut, holding up the handle to a vessel:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52M2FOjRphss0J8ANDeu0syERKQSF5sI5ZzPKDKPiAwRnENwuxyC9fSwgrC6jqo9rkos_Yf1nJ-f0NjsZpbP49jkNKoeg49kyxkirw8DV3zOPFZAq7EGAPDmFizCqllFmzxMxeSGFR_A/s1600-h/DSC06877.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52M2FOjRphss0J8ANDeu0syERKQSF5sI5ZzPKDKPiAwRnENwuxyC9fSwgrC6jqo9rkos_Yf1nJ-f0NjsZpbP49jkNKoeg49kyxkirw8DV3zOPFZAq7EGAPDmFizCqllFmzxMxeSGFR_A/s320/DSC06877.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222104263218522946" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Juan also came close to literally being on fire - the villagers later took us to a site where natural gas is emitted from the ground, fueling a constant flame. The rock itself seems to burn:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2tvh0XvT00EUBSi3T0LWDehea-TCweUCTiSdKZ19fTkx5-TBB6jUE6NsQbc2R04S9k8s7k8k309bYJVo6GZ1_AtIx7HwXeQvSJJtTx2UGe3JO4EGPCSisZtbP7xo6Y4ZDa9MIOuJ-5U/s1600-h/DSC06904.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2tvh0XvT00EUBSi3T0LWDehea-TCweUCTiSdKZ19fTkx5-TBB6jUE6NsQbc2R04S9k8s7k8k309bYJVo6GZ1_AtIx7HwXeQvSJJtTx2UGe3JO4EGPCSisZtbP7xo6Y4ZDa9MIOuJ-5U/s320/DSC06904.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222102299229108194" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We do not know what the lifespan of such phenomena is, but if this were burning already in ancient times, this site may have been a religous sanctuary or a ritual area, since the ancients were likely to have interpreted this fire as a divine manifestation. At least some ancient activity is attested here, from the ceramic material we collected, most of which is apparently Hellenistic.<br /><br />Another site worthy of mention was an area containing Roman period graves. Apparently this site has previously been excavated, but it has since been looted and severely damaged:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsMTdIZTkHW9nVPPLAF1DjBT4UEy1rb3ECrD0r1b4szED7hzzYtthRjIRymF6fKD4xsImCNQDOBK_PWzpsD5wKRJ2K85-H4MYE1nuVDRETyszLZT93kzzwMsgB4eRke7tAHPVfhB5b5M/s1600-h/DSC06914.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsMTdIZTkHW9nVPPLAF1DjBT4UEy1rb3ECrD0r1b4szED7hzzYtthRjIRymF6fKD4xsImCNQDOBK_PWzpsD5wKRJ2K85-H4MYE1nuVDRETyszLZT93kzzwMsgB4eRke7tAHPVfhB5b5M/s320/DSC06914.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222201775427012514" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Very little material would have been visible on the surface, but the looted pits still contained some remains. Here is a fragment of one of the ceramic coffins:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_VogtOFpsLbkVmX7njMW4tH5AObdoL6P6NgpNidEI5hK1VIkRNyWWFXML8s1QJh1kMX4V1UWULhZg81T6LYl6EzFkloxEqiaAoC9mbH6i_EYW8kDtB8D6gAeX5Q1HaIXaomn3oVCJ1Y4/s1600-h/DSC06907.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_VogtOFpsLbkVmX7njMW4tH5AObdoL6P6NgpNidEI5hK1VIkRNyWWFXML8s1QJh1kMX4V1UWULhZg81T6LYl6EzFkloxEqiaAoC9mbH6i_EYW8kDtB8D6gAeX5Q1HaIXaomn3oVCJ1Y4/s320/DSC06907.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222102304495225202" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The bones of one of the occupants of this tomb are now exposed to the air:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPdsWl10SOylFQ3ecrelsce0hyphenhyphenHJdcTB4wa-sOpfxvKaPuNgktlrBWyyOEPjnp2REzIA6a4KVC6R8_8NkYJmE_uJenOh1juyVZDckVs26UmUX2h1x-WIoWxoptfJXU18LuCZaCCnnpbI/s1600-h/DSC06908.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPdsWl10SOylFQ3ecrelsce0hyphenhyphenHJdcTB4wa-sOpfxvKaPuNgktlrBWyyOEPjnp2REzIA6a4KVC6R8_8NkYJmE_uJenOh1juyVZDckVs26UmUX2h1x-WIoWxoptfJXU18LuCZaCCnnpbI/s320/DSC06908.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222102306474587314" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The last site the villagers showed us was a natural spring, which they claimed is able to cure skin diseases. I, unfortunately lacking skin diseases, was unable to test this claim.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjns9-0hmUmLt5ZHkRSwzLg9_GhWbAacoeBxTUtr-VoApQzpC7y2znHApDQKEarv2U7_o9xM47EhiiYZBp6QwvwkEoE4Kgh4S1Nqzqx5YUWPIw6rLJ2SWOnsva1RlMpWfkcawOpTrVZbDM/s1600-h/DSC06919.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjns9-0hmUmLt5ZHkRSwzLg9_GhWbAacoeBxTUtr-VoApQzpC7y2znHApDQKEarv2U7_o9xM47EhiiYZBp6QwvwkEoE4Kgh4S1Nqzqx5YUWPIw6rLJ2SWOnsva1RlMpWfkcawOpTrVZbDM/s320/DSC06919.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222201020099434274" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-89660166813984057292008-07-11T14:11:00.001-05:002008-07-11T14:12:35.289-05:00A Day and a Half in Eastern TurkeyYesterday at 11:00 am the Mopsos team boarded a bus for Sanliurfa. The drive was a little long, a touch over six hours each way, but we entertained ourselves. Our journey took us through the Turkish countryside and across the Euphrates River. We stopped in Beracik on the Euphrates and had Turkish tea and coffee. It took little time for Juan and I to strip of our shirts and shoes and dive right in. The water was incredibly cold but completely worth it. On the way back Jeff, Andrea, Amanda, Juan, and I all jumped in. After tea, coffee, and ice cream we boarded the bus and made it to Sanliurfa.<br /> Despite the 125 degree heat from the previous day, we took in as many sites as possible. The first was Abraham’s Pool, which according to the Biblical tradition is the place where Abraham was saved from the Assyrian king Nimrod. Today it is a small lake with many fish. The second major site was Gobekli Tepe, which boasts the world’s oldest monumental architecture. Sandra Scham, a Mopsos Survey staff member, will be writing an article about the site in an upcoming issue of Archaeology magazine. The third and final major stop was Kapali Carsi, a large bazaar dating to the Ottoman period. The bazaar was full of locally produced goods including spices, scarves, other textiles, and various fruits and vegetables. A great time was had by all.Brandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-65794189527152910342008-07-10T02:21:00.000-05:002008-11-13T00:57:17.315-05:00Off to Eastern TurkeyJust a short post today. The next two days are free from survey while we take a trip to Gobekli Tepe. The site is in eastern Turkey and will entail a six-hour bus ride on way. I have been told that it is truly a once and a life-time opportunity to see the site. So I will make sure and write all about it tomorrow, provided that I have access to the Internet. In preparation for our long journey the students had a social hour last night where many pictures were taken. Below I have posted a group picture. (Bottom from left to right) Andrea Gatzke, Thad Olson, me (Brandon Olson), and Jeff Herrick. (Top from left to right) Pete van Rossum, Volkan, Amanda Iacobelli, Muge, Mike, Serene (our Turkish rep), and Juan Tebes.<br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiglUNSudl6SSorMPeuewN_Eqzvi8NMAHVZJrOIT9ASkl5BopXbHb8W1G4NEnP3j4mTuJLQRL4aMle2W0aBG85Dz8HOPUhYoFKm8SZ-0e1u0PkTqlqLOb1vp5dVB3YAAdeG76O0Y2Mh9WQ/s1600-h/P7090010.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiglUNSudl6SSorMPeuewN_Eqzvi8NMAHVZJrOIT9ASkl5BopXbHb8W1G4NEnP3j4mTuJLQRL4aMle2W0aBG85Dz8HOPUhYoFKm8SZ-0e1u0PkTqlqLOb1vp5dVB3YAAdeG76O0Y2Mh9WQ/s400/P7090010.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Brandon R. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17471656032930751523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-36614200352685105662008-07-09T15:33:00.000-05:002008-07-09T15:35:13.579-05:00Meet JeffMy name is Jeff Herrick and in the fall I will begin my second year studying Roman history in the MA/Ph.D. program in Ancient History at Penn State. I received a B.A. in History, with a minor in Classical Studies, from the University of Colorado. As an undergrad, I was wowed by the stories some of my professors told about their archaeological work in Turkey, and I have since grown more and more fascinated with the history and archaeology of Anatolia. This is my first time participating in an archaeologically expedition, and I jumped at the chance to participate in the Mopsos Landscape Archaeology Project, both for my own interest in the region, and because the Mopsos project, as an archaeological field school, is an excellent opportunity for me to both gain a firsthand understanding of archaeological theory and methodology. <br /><br />The focus of the Project accords well with my specific research interests, as well, since I am focusing on the adoption of Roman culture in the Eastern provinces, and Turkey has not disappointed. Each day we find a great deal of ancient ceramic sherds: roof tiles, fragments of amphorae and pithoi (shipping and storage jars), fine wares, much of it from the Roman period, simply lying exposed on the ground, even in the locals’ backyards! It is stunning to realize that this material has simply been lying here for millenia, waiting to be picked up. When the data from this expedition is interpreted and presented in a coherent framework, it may tell us a great deal about the spread of Roman cultural practices, and the consumption of luxuries such as Italian wine. Even beyond the Roman material, today I found a sherd of pottery with a painted geometric design indicating that it probably dates to the Iron Age. Turkey is amazing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523275634056493542.post-44744909364922251572008-07-08T12:24:00.000-05:002008-07-08T12:27:33.496-05:00Meet Andrea<p class="MsoNormal">Hello everyone. My name is Andrea and I am one of the novice members of this years Mopsos team.<span style=""> </span>I just finished my second year at Penn State, completing my M.A. work right before leaving for this survey.<span style=""> </span>My interests are Roman social history, particularly in the late Republic and Augustan period, and I am hoping to focus on Anatolia (Turkey) in my research, though which region precisely is still up for debate.<span style=""> </span>That is a big reason why I am here this summer – to get an understanding of Anatolia, its geography, its culture, its environment, everything.<span style=""> </span>It has been great over the last 10 days or so to see this area that I have read so much about and understand where the authors were coming from.<span style=""> </span>My other main reason for participating in this survey of the Cilician plain is so that I may gain a better understanding of archaeology – how it works, how to interpret it, how I can use it – for my own research.<span style=""> </span>I am primarily a historian and have very little archaeological background, but I fully recognize the important role that archaeology has in the understanding of ancient history.<span style=""> </span>While there are some questions better answered by texts, other questions are more easily answered through the archaeological record, and I want to be able to access both sides of that historical coin.<span style=""> </span>Before coming here my only archaeological experience was excavating for a week at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center near Cortez, CO, so this is my first field survey and my first archaeological work in the Mediterranean. I will try to keep you all posted on my experiences here as a first-time surveyor.<span style=""> </span>For now, I will tell you that I am gradually gaining a better eye for the types of pottery pieces that we want to collect for analysis (rims, handles, bases, painted sherds, etc.).<span style=""> </span>So far my most exciting finds have been several pieces of mosaic, a piece of an oil lamp, a glass base, and the survey’s first coin (never mind that it dates to 1964...). I will update you again in a few days, hopefully as a more experienced and knowledgeable surveyor.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0