Kerkenes News 2010

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

Eco-Center
Berrin Çakmaklı
Soofia T. Elias-Ozkan
Asuman Korkusuz Ülgen
Güner Mutaf
Korkut Mutaf
Françoise Summers
Özün Taner
Ozan Yılmaz

     In a new initiative at the Iron Age capital on the Kerkenes Dağ, Director Designate Scott Branting and Assistant Director Sevil Baltalı Tırpan excavated part of a large public hall, possibly a temple. This is one of several such halls revealed by geophysical survey. Their distribution throughout the city might indicate districts or neighbourhoods. At the Cappadocia Gate the first phase of conservation was completed by Restoration Architects Nilüfer Yöney and Erkan Kambek (Cover and Fig. 2). Excavations at the Gate unexpectedly revealed that the wooden doors were housed in a massive wooden façade erected between the rear towers, a result that has implications for other Iron Age city gates in central and western Anatolia. A second victim caught in the collapse of the burning gate was found in the court. Lifting of the crushed and contorted skeleton and excavation of the rear portion of the gate will be completed in June 2011. Other work included Joseph Lehner's ongoing study of the technology of metals and their ore sources in the Anatolian Iron Age. In July conservators Noël Siver and Alyson Whyte and exhibition preparator Erik Lindahl installed two large stone idols in the Yozgat Museum.
     We were pleased to host once more Stefania Mazzoni and her team during their survey at the nearby site of Kuşaklı/Uşaklı, Hittite Zipallanda. Collaboration between the two teams continues through the sharing of archaeological data, ideas and interpretation.
     At the Kerkenes Eco-Center design improvements to solar cookers, ovens and driers increased their efficiency. The Kerkenes Festival (Fig. 1) was attended by the Governor of Yozgat, Necati Şentürk, and a crowd of people from near and far places. Such events bring together all those concerned with the protection of cultural and environmental assets.