Kerkenes Dağ, located in Central Turkey, was chosen for the foundation of an Iron Age capital, probably ancient Pteria, about 600 BC. Inscriptions, graffi ti, architecture and objects suggest Phrygian origins, although the city was never, perhaps, part of the Phrygian state. Caught up in the confl ict between Croesus, King of Lydia and the Persian conqueror Cyrus the Great in the 540s BC, Kerkenes was looted and burnt, its 7km circuit of strong stone walls destroyed and the city deserted. Since 1993, international teams of archaeologists and students conduct annual campaigns of remote sensing and targeted excavation. In 2009 a substantial program of architectural conservation and site development was initiated at the Cappadocia Gate.
     Şahmuratlı Village, nestling at the foot of the mountain, is home to the expedition. Here an Eco-Center has been established to promote sustainable rural life on the Anatolian Plateau through the development of renewable energy, drip irrigated gardens, building with appropriate materials and marketing village produce. This combination of research, heritage management and village development brings together village residents, local and state offi cials, NGOs, students and academics who work together for the protection of cultural and environmental assets in a dynamic rural setting.

	METU Computer Centre hosts the Kerkenes Web Page and provides technical support.
	DONATIONS CAN BE CHANNELLED THROUGH THE METU DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION Tel : +90 312 210 2157      Fax: +90 312 210 1150
	Metu Press, METU / ODTÜ, 06531 Ankara, TURKEY. Tel : +90 312 210 3870-73 Fax: +90 312 210 1549

Copyright © Kerkenes Project - 2006
Graphic Design: Ali ÇINKI
Colour Separation: ARTISistem - Tel: +90 312 417 0687
Printed By: SETMA Tel: +90 312 397 2430 Fax: +90 312 397 2435

ISSN 1302-0749