Excavations at Arslantepe/Malatya and Ayanis

Excavations at Arslantepe/Malatya
Prof. Marcella Frangipane (La Sapienza University)

The excavations of Arslantepe, in the Upper Euphrates drainage basin, have yielded substantial remains that have changed our views of the growth of complex societies in the Ancient Near East.  Excavated by Italian teams since 1961, the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age levels have revealed not only buildings with wall paintings and a sophisticated administrative system elucidated by the many seal impressions recovered, but evidence of the central location of this site, near the modern city of Malatya.  Arslantepe in the 4th and 3rd millennia BCE was at the nexus of connections with Mesopotamia to the south, western Anatolia, and the Kura-Araxes Culture of the South Caucasus.  These interconnections have been vividly demonstrated by recent excavations of coterminous settlement remains with distinctly different cultural affiliations.

Excavations at Ayanis
Prof. Mehmet Isikli (Atatürk University)

Ayanis Castle is one of the best preserved of Urartian Castles. Ayanis Castle is located 35 km north of the city of Van, and the castle is on the eastern shore, 300 meters inland from Lake Van. Ayanis is one day’s walking distance away from the capital city of the Urartu State, Tushpa. Rusa II, who was the last great king of Urartian kingdom, and who was the son of Arghishti (II), built Ayanis castle. The excavation at Ayanis has been ongoing since 1989 and this year during our summer season we will celebrate our 25^th year of operation.

Registration required to: http://americanturkishsociety.org/upcomingevents.aspx#event343

Marcella Frangipane is Professor of Prehistory of the Near and Middle East at the University of Rome, La Sapienza. She earned her PhD in Archaeology-Prehistory from La Sapienza in 1974.  She has been working at the site of Aslantepe in Malatya for 38 years and is now Director of the excavation. She is the recipient of several scientific awards, including the title of ‘Cavaliere dell’ ordine della Stella della Solidarieta’. Author of many books and publications, she is also the current editor of the journal ORIGINI (Journal of Prehistory and Protohistory of Ancient Civilizations).

Mehmet Işıklı is Assoc. Prof. of Archaeology at Atatürk Universty in Erzurum, Turkey. He earned an MA and Pd.D in Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology at Ege University in İzmir, Turkey. He has worked at many excavation and survey projects in Anatolia. His specialty is Eastern Anatolia and Southern Caucasus Archaeology, namely Early Bronze Ages. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Işıklı is currently director of the excavations at Ayanis Urartian Castle in Van, Turkey.

This is a public event.

To RSVP, please email isaw@nyu.edu.