Environmental Archaeology Workshop

Date: 15 February 2019, 9:00-16:30

Place: Koç University RF Campus, CASE124

Application Deadline: 11 February 2019

Instructors: Dr. Müge Ergun, Dr. Hannah Lau

Environmental Archaeology is an important subdiscipline in archaeology, integrating different methodologies and theories from the social and life sciences and the humanities in order to understand the dynamic relationships between past peoples and their environments. Environmental archaeologists examine topics ranging from characterizing ancient landscapes and ecosystems to investigating past communities’ subsistence strategies and other economic, technological, social, and ritual practices. These studies elucidate the ways in which people adapted to their surrounding environments and the ways they altered their environments to fit their needs; understanding these reciprocal relationships is essential for a better understanding of ancient peoples’ lifeways.

During this one-day workshop participants will learn about environmental archaeology broadly, including a survey of the subdiscipline’s research questions and methods. Participants will get in-depth exposure to two important subfields, archaeobotany and zooarchaeology, participating in a practicum where they will apply new skills to teaching collections. The day will conclude with a group discussion of two published case studies. We ask students to read the following articles prior to participation in the workshop; both are available through Koç University libraries:

1. Atalay, S., and Hastorf, C. A. 2006. “Food, Meals, and Daily Activities: Food Habitus at Neolithic Çatalhöyük.”American Antiquity 71 (2): 283–319.
2. Çakırlar, Ç., and Marston, J. M. 2019. “Rural Agricultural Economies and Military Provisioning at Roman Gordion (Central Türkiye).”Environmental Archaeology 24(1): 91-105

Additional suggested readings:

1. Ergun, M., Kabukçu, C. and Çilingir İpek, C. 2018. “Arkeobotanik: İnsan ve Bitki İlişkisi Çerçevesinde Gelişen Bir Bilim Dalı.” S., Ünlüsoy, C., Çakırlar and Ç., Çilingiroğlu (eds.) Arkeolojide Temel Yöntemler: 221-263. İstanbul: Ege Yayınları.
2. Zeder, M. A. 1994. “After the Revolution: Post-Neolithic Subsistence in Northern Mesopotamia.” American Anthropologist 96 (1): 97–126.

If you would like to attend this workshop organized by ANAMED & Koç University’s Archaeology and History of Art Department (ARHA), please send an e-mail to envarch@ku.edu.tr, before the deadline, 11 February.