Required Courses

SA 501 Theory in Archaeology

SA 505 Geoarchaeology

SA 510 Spatial Analysis in Archaeology

SA 512 Environmental Archaeology

SA 597 Research Methods and Ethics in Archaeology (NC)

SA 598 Field Methods in Archaeology I (NC)

SA 500 Seminar in Settlement Archaeology (NC)

SA 599 Thesis (NC)

Elective Courses

SA 502 Artefact Analysis and Quantification

SA 503 Anatolian Archaeology

SA 506 Workshop in Settlement Archaeology

SA 509 Human Biological and Cultural Evolution: Archaeological

Approaches, Theory and Interpretation

SA 514 GIS Applications in Settlement Archaeology

SA 518 Archaeology as Anthropology

SA 521 World Rock Art: From Paleolithic to Present

SA 524 Rock Art Studio: Theories, Methods, and Management

SA 527 Aerial Archaeology

SA 528 Landscape Analysis for Archaeologists

SA 531 Experimental Archaeology

AH 535 Seminar in Greek Architecture

AH 536 Seminar in Roman Architecture

ARCH 422 Classical Antiquity in Anatolia

ARCH 482 Conservation of Archaeological Sites

ARCH 407 City in Late Antiquity and Byzantium: Topography and Architecture

ARME 501 General Archaeometry

ARME 540 Conservation and Restoration of Archaeological Objects

ARME 541 Archaeological Materials and Their Properties

CONS 521 Sources, Methods and Ethics of Research in Conservation

CP 517 Issues in Urban Archaeology

GEOE 528 Remote Sensing

GEOE 560 Rocks and Minerals in Archaeological Studies

HIST 540 Analysis of Historical Sources

SOC 523 Data Analysis

DESCRIPTION OF COURSES

SA 501 Theory in Archaeology

The goal of this course is to familiarise the student with the theoretical and methodological developments in the field of archaeology. The intellectual foundations of archaeological research and how material culture is investigated, analyzed, and interpreted will be discussed. Current trends, problems in the theory of archaeology, modern interpretative techniques constitute the main issues at stake. The interdisciplinarity of archaeological study will be emphasized through both theoretical and methodological approaches.

SA 502 Artefact Analysis and Quantification

This course is an introduction to the analysis and quantification of archaeological artifacts. It discusses research questions, interpretation, and social significance of artifacts as well as analytical methods to be used so as to identify, record, and present information correctly for a finds report. Topics include theoretical issues on artifact analysis; extracting meaning from the artifact; changes in artifact style and its relation to culture; issues of methodology; establishing parameters for the analysis; quantification; illustration of artifacts; practical work; reporting on the results of practical work.

SA 503 Anatolian Archaeology

This course aims at introducing the archaeological data from Anatolia pertaining to the period from ca. 10.000 BC through the end of the Byzantine Period. This elementary course will focus on the settlements and the material culture discovered at these settlements in an attempt to provide a background to students of the Settlement Archaeology Graduate Program that come from departments other than Archaeology. While it is a good review for the students of our program, students from other programs who are interested in the ancient cultures of Anatolia may benefit greatly from this course.

SA 505 Geoarchaeology

This course discusses paleo-morphological and geological processes as applied to settlement archaeology. The main topics of the course include environmental systems, natural formation processes, the spatial context of the sites in their physical settings, human impact on the landscape, paleo-environmental reconstructions.

SA 506 Workshop in Settlement Archaeology

This course concentrates on advanced research methods relevant to settlement archaeology. The course aims to teach the students methods of scientific research, verbal-visual communication, and teamwork skills of settlement archaeology applied on and off-site.

SA 509 Human Biological and Cultural Evolution: Archaeological Approaches, Theory, and Interpretation

This course examines archaeological theories about the development of human society. The main element is the debate about what constitutes the driven force in any given social formation. This is illustrated with archaeological examples mainly of early periods. There is a particular emphasis on the natural environments, as this is perceived as the main force by several archaeologists. Some modern trends advocating that the study of ancient societies could help present societies to plan better their future are also presented.

SA 510 Spatial Analysis in Archaeology

This course introduces the basic concepts, assumptions, and methods of data collection, however, the primary focus is on spatial analysis at regional, local and intra-site scales and within social and ecological contexts. Throughout the course, we will survey various methods of data identification, collection and analysis which are used to interpret artifact distributions at various geographical frames from intra-site to regional scales. In doing so, we will pay particular attention to theories that inform the development and use of different interpretations.

SA 512 Environmental Archaeology

This course deals with the study of past environment and landscapes of Middle East and Balkans and their implications for settlement archaeology. Major topics of the course include past environments on a global scale, paleo-climates, the evolution of coastal areas and sea levels through time, investigation of the past landscapes, reconstructing the plant environment, polynology, macrobotanical remains, the animal environment, microfauna and macrofaunal remains, the human environment, and the human impact on various environmental contexts.

SA 514 GIS Applications in Settlement Archaeology

The aim of this course is to acquaint students with the great potential offered by GIS for the investigation of spatial relationships in archaeological data. The course consists of two parts: In Part I, basic concepts and characteristics of GIS are discussed. Basic features of GIS, such as Digital Terrain Models, which have direct relevance to archaeology are stressed.

Part II deals with the archaeological applications of GIS. Using case studies the potentials of GIS as a research tool will be discussed, e.g. site catchment analysis and archaeological site inventory systems. Students will have the opportunity to gain practical experience in the use of GIS using archaeological data which is available at the data bank of the METU museum.

SA 518 Archaeology as Anthropology

This course traces the history of archaeological thought and explores the diversity of theoretical approaches that comprise the modern field of archaeology. The course introduces students to the major issues of archaeology and the schools of thought that continue to influence archaeological debates around those issues, in a historical context.

SA 521 World Rock Art: From Paleolithic to Present

This course will consider rock art studies in several geographic regions of the world, in order to present the extent of rock art sites and rock art heritage from a global point of view. The approach will be broadly comparative, exploring the character of regional traditions, the role of different ecologies (cave art vs. open-air art), and social structures in shaping the character of rock art traditions. Regions from which case studies are drawn will include: Europe (Palaeolithic and Post-Paleolithic), Africa (Saharan and Sub-Saharan), Australia/Oceania, The Middle East, Anatolia, Asia, North and South America.

SA 522 Advanced Topics in Environmental Archaeology

This course examines the contribution of environmental evidence to archaeological debates in a broader view. It takes examples of major archaeologically visible events and social-economical formations (such as Neolithisation, Urbanisation, Collapse of Cultures, Trade, Social Stratification, Rituals) and looks at the information that can be introduced to the archaeological inquiry by animal/plant data. The course is not "period" centered; in contrast, it aims to present environmental "approaches" in wider archaeological problems which are then generic and can be applied to various contexts and dates according to the interest of students.

SA 524 Rock Art Studio: Theories, Methods, and Management

This course will introduce some of the major issues in the study of rock art: the role of art historical and anthropological theories in the interpretation of rock art, questions of dating and chronology, and the use of informed ethnographic approaches among others. Students will be familiar with the range of processes that shape the surviving heritage of rock art and explore issues of the management of rock art sites, ranging from recording, conservation, and display in exhibitions and museums to issues of the use of rock art sites by contemporary indigenous peoples.

SA 527 Aerial Archaeology

Aerial photography is a useful and powerful tool to identify natural and/or artificial features existing on the earth's surface. Archaeological information can be easily extracted from aerial photographs both by 3D (stereoscopic) analysis and from scanned photographs on the screen. The main objective of the course is to train students in the interpretation of aerial photographs for the identification of these features.

SA 528 Landscape Analysis for Archaeologists

Archaeology program Several undergraduate /graduate courses are offered in the university that involve certain field studies. Most of the students in these courses have general difficulty in the recognition of physiographic features of the earth's surface. Graduate students particularly in Settlement are believed to be familiar with morphological features and natural processes that exist in the vicinity of a site. The main objective of this course is, therefore, to teach and introduce basic features and the earth's surface to the student and to enable him/her to interpret topographic maps and extract information from landforms that surround the site.

SA 531 Experimental Archaeology

A project designed for research to study the agricultural and domestic economy of the Bronze and Iron Age in Anatolia. Experiments conceived out of the archaeological data to explore the questions raised by archaeologists.

SA 597 Research Methods and Ethics in Archaeology

The course is designed to provide the Master's and Ph.D. level students with the most contemporary research methods in archaeology as well as an understanding of research and publication ethics. The students are expected to design a research proposal and generate a report on their summer field practice.

SA 598 Field Methods in Archaeology I

This course will provide hands-on experience in the field to students of archaeology. Field practice will be conducted on campus during when the students will actively participate in documentation, measuring, mapping, drawing, and surveying. It is intended as a preparation for actual archaeological filed work expected from the students in the following summer months.