Külekçi, Ilgın 

Istanbul Teknik Üniversitesi

Research Title: Settlement Structures, Topography, and Social Response at Larisa (Buruncuk) in the Aeolis

Ms. Külekçi is a PhD candidate in the Architectural History program at Istanbul Technical University. Her doctoral dissertation is based on field studies at the ancient city of Larisa (Buruncuk) in western Anatolia, where an architectural survey conducted by Prof. Turgut Saner (ITU) has been proceeding since 2010 . The visible remains of the site are from the timespan between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. In the Classical periods Larisa was under Persian rule and it presents an almost unique case to study the operational patterns of a western Anatolian city in this turbulent period. In order to understand the settlement structures and the urban principles of the period, she is particularly studying the settlement areas of Larisa. Her research project in ANAMED questions Larisa’s settlement model considering the social roles of dwellers and the urban constellation in response to the topography. For a comprehensive analysis, the architectural research will be supported with a look at the socio-political dynamics of the period. A further evaluation within the historical geography of the region – with an emphasis on the Late Bronze Age – will be complementary. Thus, her project aims to reveal urbanization processes at Larisa both within its well-defined geographical-topographical entity in the Classical periods, and in relation with long-term dynamics of earlier periods.