Tatbul, Mustafa Nuri

Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi

Research Topic: Changing Dynamics in the Middle Byzantine Komana Pontica, Central Black Sea, Türkiye

Dr. Tatbul holds a PhD in Settlement Archaeology from Middle East Technical University (2017), Türkiye and an MA in Archaeology from Leiden University, The Netherlands (2007). His research project at ANAMED “Changing Dynamics in the Middle Byzantine Komana Pontica, Central Black Sea, Türkiye” aims to enlighten the social, political, economic and religious changes and interactions between Byzantine and Turkic communities during the penetration of Turkic tribes into Anatolia and under further Danishmend/Seljuk rule. He will conduct an initial literature survey that will guide him in the future planned intensive surface surveys in the previously identified Middle Byzantine church sites during the extensive surveys by Burcu Erciyas between 2004–2008 in the territory of Komana Pontica. His future intensive survey data, with the guidance of literature survey, in the church sites will try to explore their function, character, contemporaneity and if any hierarchical order, their fate during the penetration of Turkic tribes and Danishmend/Seljuk rule and site preference strategies under the changing dramatic political, social, economic and religious conditions of the period. His research method will integrate literature survey of the period, intensive surface collection and geophysical prospection of the intended church sites and excavation data of an already excavated church site at Hamamtepe, Komana Pontica.