Kerkenes News 2009

Edited by
Geoffrey and Françoise Summers

Participants
Sema Bağcı
Sevil Baltalı Tırpan
Dominique Langis-Barsetti
Susanne Berndt-Ersöz
Scott Branting
Berrin Çakmaklı
Erdoğan Cambaz
Ferhat Can
Ahmet Çinici
Ali Çınkı
Jonathan Clindaniel
Ben Claasz Coockson
Merve Demiröz
Cengiz Doğangönül
Sergey Emeliyanov
Yılmaz Selim Erdal
Güzin Eren
Sophie Hammond-Hagman
Resul İbiş
Erkan Kambek
Aygün Kalınbayrak
Nuretdin Kaymakçı
Pınar Kaymakçı
Paul Kazo Kazaev
Anthony Lauricella
Joseph Lehner
Erik Lindahl
John Marston
Naomi Miller
James Osborne
Yasemin Özarslan
Susan Penacho
Evangelia I. Pişkin
Çıngı Salman
Stephanie Salwen
Jack Scott
Noël Siver
Françoise Summers
Geoffrey Summers
Irene Sun
Kenan Sürül
Ahmet Türer
Jill Waller
Alison Whyte
Nilüfer Yöney
Özge Yurdakul

     Fieldwork at the Iron Age capital on Kerkenes Dağ, very probably ancient Pteria, comprised geophysical survey in the southern urban sector (Fig. 1) followed by excavation at the "Cappadocia Gate" (cover) where a partially burnt skeleton provided somewhat gruesome evidence for the dramatic destruction of the city. In July the Ambassador of the United States of America Mr James Jeffrey and Mrs Jeffrey made a visit in connection with an award from the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation. They were generously hosted at Yozgat by Governor Amir Çiçek while Yozgat Mayor Yusuf Başer offered a splendid breakfast in the newly restored Hayri İnal Konak (Fig. 2a). At Kerkenes there was time to climb the Kale (Castle) for the expansive view that it offers and to tour the Cappadocia Gate (Fig. 2b). At the Kerkenes Eco-Centre, Sorgun District Governor Ertuğrul Kılıç offered an excellent local lunch of Testi Kebap provided by the Sorgun Thermal Hotel. We thank all those who laboured to make this special day such a success, particularly the Sorgun Jandarma and the hospitable people of Şahmuratlı Village. In December H.R.H. Charles, Prince of Wales, who has a personal interest in the archaeology of Turkey, invested Geoffrey with an MBE for 'services to British archaeological research in Turkey', an honour earned by the entire Kerkenes Team.
     In September, Prof. Stefania Mazzoni and her team continued their survey at Kuşaklı Höyük (pp 10-11), commuting from the Kerkenes Expedition House.
     Activities of the Kerkenes Eco-Center (pp 12-13) are again reported, the most notable of which are new designs for solar cookers as well as for larger and more efficient solar driers for garden and orchard produce.