Archaeology

At the Origins of Domestication: Communities, Rituals, and Landscapes in Southeastern Anatolia (10th–9th millennium BCE) This seminar will focus on the transition toward plant and animal domestication in Southeastern Anatolia, a key region for understanding the economic, social, and symbolic transformations that led to the emergence of agriculture and animal husbandry. Through the examination of sites currently under excavation and research — including Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe, Gre Filla, Boncuklu Tarla, and others — the course will explore architectural evidence, material culture, archaeobotanical, and zooarchaeological data. Students will be encouraged to critically reflect on processes of sedentarization, changes in subsistence strategies, and the ritual and symbolic dimensions of these early communities. The course will combine lectures by the professor, providing theoretical background and site analyses, with student-led seminar sessions, during which excavation data and interpretative models from recent scholarship will be discussed collectively. Emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary approaches and the critical evaluation of data, fostering a nuanced and dynamic understanding of the so-called “Neolithization” process.

Have attended the basic course of Prehistory and Protohistory of the Near and Middle East I. those who have not given the introductory exam but want to take this one are requested to contact the professor

specific texts shall be handed out during the course

the course will take place during academic year 2025-6.

The course is organized as a seminar work to which they will actively participate. Students will thus be followed and also evaluated as work is in progress.

The course is organized as a seminar work to which they will actively participate. Students will thus be followed and also evaluated as work is in progress.

At the Origins of Domestication: Communities, Rituals, and Landscapes in Southeastern Anatolia (10th–9th millennium BCE) This seminar will focus on the transition toward plant and animal domestication in Southeastern Anatolia, a key region for understanding the economic, social, and symbolic transformations that led to the emergence of agriculture and animal husbandry. Through the examination of sites currently under excavation and research — including Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe, Gre Filla, Boncuklu Tarla, and others — the course will explore architectural evidence, material culture, archaeobotanical, and zooarchaeological data. Students will be encouraged to critically reflect on processes of sedentarization, changes in subsistence strategies, and the ritual and symbolic dimensions of these early communities. The course will combine lectures by the professor, providing theoretical background and site analyses, with student-led seminar sessions, during which excavation data and interpretative models from recent scholarship will be discussed collectively. Emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary approaches and the critical evaluation of data, fostering a nuanced and dynamic understanding of the so-called “Neolithization” process.

Have attended the basic course of Prehistory and Protohistory of the Near and Middle East I. those who have not given the introductory exam but want to take this one are requested to contact the professor

specific texts shall be handed out during the course

the course will take place during academic year 2025-6.

The course is organized as a seminar work to which they will actively participate. Students will thus be followed and also evaluated as work is in progress.

The course is organized as a seminar work to which they will actively participate. Students will thus be followed and also evaluated as work is in progress.