Uncovering the treasures of 3,000-year-old ancient civilization
16-year long UIC archaeological project culminates in exhibition in Türkiye
Thanks to movies like Indiana Jones and The Mummy, most of us know what an archeological excavation site looks like. Ladders descend into the excavation sites. Heavy machinery clears the big debris as dozens of workers gather around with brushes and plaster to unearth and preserve the precious artifacts. Contrary to this typical image, a UIC archaeological exhibition just opened in Türkiye, yet the team didn’t do any digging.
Studying cultures under one government
Ömür Harmanşah is a tenured Professor in the Department of Art History and Museum and Exhibition Studies and he is the former Director of the School of Art & Art History. He studies the Hittite Empire, a civilization that existed over 3,000 years ago (1650-1175 BCE). Much like the United States is unified politically, the Hittite empire was the first to unify the Anatolia peninsula, the location of modern Türkiye.
Ömür wants to understand the impact that local culture and government had on the lives of these ancient residents of Anatolia. As Chicagoans can attest, life in a region could differ vastly depending on who the mayor is and whether they reside in University Village or the Gold Coast.
Understanding the past without digging into the landscape
Ömür and his team run the Yalburt Yaylasi Archaeological Landscape Research Project, which started in 2010. The project aims to explore the water monuments built during the Hittite empire and uncover how they were used for agricultural and religious practices. The team of 8-12 faculty members and students travel to Türkiye to explore a district in the Konya Province, in an area the size of Cook County.
The first challenge is knowing where to look. To identify relevant sites, the team walks mile after mile through the landscape, asks local communities for the location of past remains, uses satellites and drones to detect sites, and follows the Harmala plant that grows in disturbed soil. They also use radar and magnetic field technology to survey ancient architecture underground.
This non-invasive method of fieldwork is called an archaeological landscape survey. Since the team explores a variety of locations including stone quarries, cemeteries, small cities, fortresses, and villages, this method allows them to capture even more information about ancient communities than the digging method. They examine the architecture, photograph the artifacts, and carefully collect the items on the surface to send to the local archaeological museum.
The current success of the project is all due to the team members’ expertise in history, ceramics, photography, vegetation, architecture, and art. Co-Director and Visiting Assistant Professor Peri Johnson, Ömür’s spouse, and the couple’s child are also integral members of the team. “[Our child] has always been in the field with us. They are currently studying Studio Art at Reed College and do a lot of drawing for us,” shares Ömür.
Rejoining artifacts that were separated by time
The team’s exhibition, "A Hittite King at the Yalburt Spring: Archaeology and Cultural Heritage in the Countryside" is currently on display at the Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum in Türkiye and also contains artifacts that were discovered 56 years ago yet have never before been displayed to the public. But where did these come from? Those artifacts are from the 1970-1975 excavations led by the Ankara Museum and Ömür’s team was given special permission to bring those artifacts out of storage and display them alongside the artifacts from their survey. The exhibition was co-curated by Professors Ömür Harmanşah and Peri Johnson and includes artwork by Bochay Drum.
Among the artifacts from the 1970 excavation were small statuettes of Meter, a local female deity who is often depicted in the company of lions. Ömür’s team was delighted to find that those matched the ones they found during their surveys. “The artifacts met with each other and they complement each other,” exclaims Ömür.
In addition to enjoying the artifacts, museum guests learn what archaeologists do in the field through photos and videos taken at each site. The exhibition also sheds light on the impact of climate change on local communities. In the team’s video documentary, local farmers share the challenges they face due to changes in water levels, weather patterns, and planting schedules.
To Ömür, this exhibition is more than just another accomplishment for his CV. “We do research, but I always wanted to return the products of that research to the people who are the real owners of that cultural heritage,” explains Ömür. “When we showed them [local residents] the artifacts that we found, it's a way of returning the heritage back to its real owners. So that's why it's really exciting.”
The future of archaeology
Changes in climate and political power have altered how archeological projects are conducted. In the past, archaeologists arrived at a site, and their trips were guided by research questions. This has dramatically changed. Many lands in Türkiye and the wider Mediterranean world that were once protected are now vulnerable to mining and industrial development — including archaeological sites. Instead of answering an independent research question, “archaeologists are now increasingly operating in what we call salvage archaeology. So, you're always trying to rescue what is left,” explains Ömür.
Despite these challenges, Ömür and his team continue their research, and they do what they can to preserve these historic sites. They choose to conduct archaeological surveys over traditional excavations to limit the damage they cause to each site. “It's really important to preserve what we do have so that future generations can enjoy the same things we're enjoying now,” says Ömür.
Author: Lindsey Ramirez
