gmail.com
he Institute for Field Researchs' (IFR)) mission is to transform individuals and communities through experiential education and field research.
The Institute for Field Research (IFR) was created in March 2011 by a group of leading academics. Operating as an independent, nonprofit academic organization has allowed us to break down traditional institutional barriers and deliver field schools to students regardless of the university in which they matriculate. By working with leading scholars from academic institutions around the world, the IFR delivers evidence-based field science programs in a broad range of disciplines while ensuring excellence in research and teaching. Students are no longer limited to the expertise of faculty members at their home institution, and principal investigators can recruit the best students from around the world.
Logistics
Dates session I: 11 June - 11 July 2023
Dates session II: 12 July - 12 August 2023
Location: Elmali, Turkey
Course costs: $4,025
Course type: Paleoenvironmental Studies, Archaeometry, Geoanthropology, Archaeology
Description
In the Near East, there were many rapid past climatic changes, which brought significant socio-economic and political transformations. Past human societies dealt with these changes while causing anthropogenic changes in the same environment. The research on the Elmalı Plain will focus on reconstructing the past environmental conditions in the region along with possible rapid climate change events. Then, we will explore when and how human groups that inhabited Hacımusalar Mound might have adapted to such changes. Adaptive behaviors may include changes in land use patterns, resource extraction, social organization, and other socio-economic transformations. When these patterns are reconstructed at high spatio-temporal resolution across the Plain, simulating the socio-ecological dynamics will be possible.
Hacımusalar is a multi-period archaeological settlement in the Elmalı Plain of SW Turkey. The region still follows traditional agro-pastoral lifeway yet experiencing all the problems related to rapid climate change and anthropogenic degradation of its environment. Previous excavations at the Mound revealed major architectural remains such as fortification walls, houses and churches. The new phase of field work focuses on the long-term evolution of socio-ecological dynamics on the Plain. Using the long and complex archaeological record obtained from the Mound, researchers will dedicate the next decade to understand the time-transgressive patterns in human-environment interactions.
Field methods (geophysics, geology, paleobotany, remote sensing, etc.) that complement archaeological research make EFSG a unique setting to learn about the past human-environment interactions through active participation while learning about the current climate crisis and how it impacts communities with traditional lifeways.
Further information
The directors welcome emails and inquiries about the research elements of this project. More general information (tuition, health insurance, and payment schedule) can be found under the ‘Students’ tab on the website: https://ifrglobal.org/program/turkey-elmali/
Any further questions may be addressed to IFR staff. Additional details about research, course schedule, travel, accommodation, and safety can be found on the syllabus. Contacting the directors or the IFR office is encouraged and appreciated. It may help you determine if this field school is a good fit for you.
Contact Dr. Bülent Arıkan, Associate Professor of Archaeology at Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul Technical University via email: bulent.arikangmail.com