Archaeology and History of Late Roman Anatolia: In Search of St. Theodore of Sykeon (ca. 540-613 CE)

Project description:

The Tahirler project, which began in the summer of 1996, is an archaeological reconnaissance project in western Galatia, the region of central Turkey that hosted the career of one of the most colorful figures of early Byzantine history, the "holy man" St. Theodore of Sykeon (ca. 540-613 CE). Since the summer of 1997, I have served as the field director for this project, and am now in the process of analyzing material collected in the field during the 1996-1998 seasons. The student researcher (or two researchers) recruited for this project will help catalog and study the slide archives of this survey - a corpus that includes classical inscriptions (in Greek and Latin), various carved objects in marble and stone, Byzantine church and cave architecture, and a large collection of ceramics (Bronze Age through Ottoman).

The project calls for a student who excels at both collaborative and individual research. You may spend one week working with the instructor on slide labeling and data-base entry, and the next week in the art library, learning everything you can about an object recorded in the survey (e.g. a Roman marble eagle, or a fragment of a Byzantine icon screen). Students are encourged, but not required, to enroll in the instructor's research seminar, HIST 498, during autumn quarter, 2000. Previous experience in archaeology, art history, classics, and/or Roman and Byzantine history is welcome; technical skills in data-base work, WEB publishing, photography, drawing, and/or survey are especially needed.

The project is designed for 6-8 hours a week of research time for at least one quarter, with the possibility of extending for three or more quarters (autumn 2000 - summer 2001) if granted a Mary Gates Research Training Grant. It may be possible to invite one or two students to participate in ongoing field research in central Turkey during the summer of 2001, pending funding and Turkish government permits.

BACK TO TOP.