ITU Creates Impact in the Field of Archaeology by Bringing Together Diverse Disciplines

Istanbul Technical University (ITU) has gained national and international recognition in the field of archaeology through its interdisciplinary approach, digitalization, and computational methods. Adopting an innovative perspective in the collection, processing, and evaluation of archaeological data, ITU provides hands-on experience to undergraduate and graduate students from various disciplines both in Türkiye and abroad through the Elmalı Field School.

The archaeological excavations and research at Hacımusalar Mound, led by ITU, not only aim to fully uncover the settlement’s chronology but also offer students and researchers a rich field experience. Additionally, by shedding light on human–environment interactions, the project seeks to propose solutions to current issues faced by local communities, such as drought and agricultural production challenges.

Prof. Dr. Bülent Arıkan, Head of the Department of Evolution and Ecology and Director of the Hacımusalar Mound Excavation, shared the stages of ITU’s successful transformation in archaeological studies and its future goals.

“ITU’s ranking as 245th globally and 1st nationally in the field of Archaeology in the 2025 URAP rankings, and its inclusion among the top five universities in TÜBİTAK’s 2024 field competency analysis (following Istanbul, Akdeniz, Koç, and Hacettepe Universities), is essentially the result of a transformation that began in 2013 within the Department of Evolution and Ecosystems at the Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences. This transformation initially aimed to standardize the digitization of archaeological data and the use of computational sciences (such as modeling and simulation) at ITU. During this phase, datasets from excavations and research conducted by other universities were utilized. The thesis studies carried out with students from the Earth System Science master’s and doctoral programs, our TÜBİTAK-funded projects, BAP-supported research, and the resulting articles published in high-impact international journals, along with books released by international publishers, have all contributed significantly to the increase in our scientific visibility.

Between 2020 and 2022, we entered the second phase. First, we established the Geoanthropology master’s program under the Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, where we began offering English-language education in archaeology through interdisciplinary methods. In 2022, we started generating our own data through archaeological excavations and research conducted under my direction on behalf of ITU and in collaboration with the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism at Hacımusalar Mound in Elmalı District, Antalya Province. In a very short time, Hacımusalar Mound evolved into an international field school. In addition to undergraduate and graduate students from various universities across Türkiye—primarily ITU—students from the United States, Canada, and European countries also participate in these excavations every summer. Our Turkish and international students come from a wide range of disciplines that enrich archaeology, including archaeology, architecture, restoration, geography, geomatics, geophysics, geology, game design, and interaction studies. Our core objective is to train social scientists who have learned to think analytically.

In summary, the secret behind ITU’s national and international success in the field of archaeology—despite not yet having a dedicated archaeology department, and even surpassing or matching universities with long-established archaeology programs—lies in its ability to collect archaeological data using interdisciplinary protocols practiced in developed countries, transform these datasets through digitization methods, and perform computational analyses based on this data. Publishing the results of this outlined cycle as theses, articles, and book chapters, and supporting them through funded projects, will further enhance our national and international visibility. Our goal is to grow this initiative sustainably and elevate our position in global rankings. I owe a heartfelt thanks to Professors Nüzhet Dalfes, Celâl Şengör, Mehmet Karaca, İsmail Koyuncu, and Gülsün Sağlamer for their unwavering support throughout all these stages.”