The Türkmen-Karahöyük Archaeological Project

The Türkmen-Karahöyük Archaeological Project (TKAP) is a new research programme in the Konya Plain (Türkiye), and focusses on a major Bronze/Iron Age and Hellenistic centre to understand socio-economic, cultural and political dynamics in central Anatolia between the earliest cities and the advent of the Roman Empire.

Major research aims include situating the site within its natural and human landscapes and understanding its role in the development of social complexity in the region, explicitly employing “prehistoric” analytical frameworks to tie in with previous research and provide a long-term perspective spanning PPN to Roman times. Ultimately, TKAP strives to become a pole of cutting-edge research in archaeological science and to help train a new generation of Anatolian archaeologists.

The 2024 season included the restoration of labs and dorms to host 30 people and the setting up of an Archaeological Information System for site documentation. Mid-season, labs for palaeobotany, zooarchaeology, ceramics, and osteology were established. Excavations at the top of the mound revealed a site-wide destruction layer datable to ca 150-100 cal BCE, possibly connected to Roman interference in the region, and yielding large amounts of in situ artefacts. Investigation of two areas inside the large gullies cutting into the archaeological deposits instead focused on Middle Bronze Age domestic structures with evidence of trade, administration, and rituals.

Read about the project in Heritage Türkiye 14 Read about the project in Heritage Türkiye 15