PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Students enrolled in the classics course “Landscape Archaeology and Epigraphy” (CLSC 318/418) worked on an archaeological and epigraphical survey of Isparta, Turkey, specifically around the modern village of Gönen (ancient Konane). This area is part of a larger research project known as the Isparta Archaeological Survey (IAS).

Working alongside faculty and students from Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi and researchers from other European countries, students learned the methodology of landscape archaeology and epigraphy, the ethics of archaeology, how to collaborate with an international team of scholars and how to work with local communities to preserve their cultural heritage.

PROJECT OUTCOMES

The project provides students with the opportunity to participate in an actual archaeological project in a part of the world with a long history of settlement.

Students participated in every facet of the excavation process. They used satellite imaging to survey the land for large landmarks such as roads and terraces. In addition, they hand-collected and measured the location of artifacts such as pottery, coins and animal bones. After collecting, students cleaned and labeled every artifact, took photographs and recorded the precise location where each object had been found, using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographing Information Systems (GIS). IAS director Bilge Hürmüzlü, a professor of archaeology at Süleyman Demirel, cites the training that Iversen and De Giorgi provided for her students in Turkey as one major benefit of the continuing partnership between her institution and CWRU. The course also exposes students in both countries to a different culture.

Students are editing their digital multimedia presentations at the Freedman Center in CWRU’s Kelvin Smith Library.