July Roundup, Part 4 (Turkey)

After decades of hopes and dreams, excavations began at Colossae last month. The team’s X feed includes a couple of photos.

“Archaeologists working in an ancient Urartian necropolis in eastern Türkiye’s Van province are uncovering remarkable evidence of Urartian burial traditions, including signs that women may have held high status in the Iron Age kingdom.”

“A newly discovered 2,000-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Adrasan in southern Turkey is offering a rare glimpse into ancient sea trade, with remarkably well-preserved ceramics still in their original arrangement.”

Archaeology in Turkey in struggling with understaffing, underfunding, unrealistic deadlines, unqualified archaeologists, hasty reconstruction efforts, and illegal treasure hunting.

“The ancient city of Termessos in the southern province of Antalya has launched its first systematic archaeological excavations this year.”

Austria is celebrating 130 years of excavation at the site of Ephesus.

“In a landmark study published in Science, researchers analyzing ancient DNA from nearly 400 skeletons at Çatalhöyük, a remarkably well-preserved Neolithic settlement in southern Turkey, revealed powerful clues that this early civilization operated under a matriarchal system.”

Istanbul is not prepared for its next earthquake. This Washington Post story (subscription) looks at the potential damage to residents and the city’s 40,000 historical sites.

Jason Borges explains the strategic importance of the Cilician Gates, and he identifies and illustrates five main gates accessing the Cilician Plain.

Turkish Archaeological News rounds up the top stories for the month of June and the month of July. Some highlights:

• With the installation of lighting system, Ephesus is now open to visits until midnight.
• Visitors to Aphrodisias can now enjoy “night-time museum visits, a redesigned welcome center and enhanced landscaping.”
• A second season of excavations is now underway at Lystra.
• “Significant progress has been made in the Hidirlik Tower Archaeological Excavation and Viewing Terrace Project.”
• Archaeologists have uncovered Roman-era shops and a stoa at Patara.
• The goal of this season’s excavations at Troy is to uncover physical evidence related to the Trojan War.
• Why 37 museums are closed in Turkey

HT: Agade, A.D. Riddle, Explorator