Archaeology

What is archaeology?

Archaeology is the discipline that studies ancient cultures and civilizations through analyzing the material remains and ancient literature. The term archaeology comes from Greek ἀρχαιολογία, archaiologia from ἀρχαῖος, arkhaios, "ancient" and -λογία, -logia, "-logy" which means more or less the “knowledge of the past events, ancient ages”. The term archaeologia first used by Thucydides (5^th cent. B.C.E) as the meaning “proto events”. Dionysius of Halicarnassus (1st cent. B.C.E.) used the same term as the synonym for “history”. İt is first used as the meaning for “the science that studies human-made remains” in Jacques Spon’s publication (1685) about his travels to Greece.

Archaeology is the field of science that unearths ancient movable and immovable porperties and studies them systematically and methodologically, thus interprets and explains the data about the past societies. This examination needs the application of the experimental methods, observation and recording. Remains from subterranean, surface and underwater which feature as documents that belong to ancient cultures are the cultural properties that are included in the scope of archaeology. Remains in the constructional scale (cities, constructions, buildings, monuments etc.) are considered as the immovable cultural properties. On the other hand, remains in the small scale (small finds and any find that could be worthy of a museum) are the movable cultural properties. The places of the constructional scale that need conservation are go by the name “archaeological site”. Archaeological sites are the places that mirrors the social economic and cultural characteristics of a specific period through their subterranean, surface and underwater cultural properties which could be from prehistory to the industrial revolution and afterwards ( 18^th -19^th centuries).

Past in the Future

Why do we investigate the past? Everybody born curious and the past is the focal point of the curiosity and the interest. Only a small part of the things that a human being used during his lifetime could remain and mixed to the earth:  things that missing, idle or buried on purpose. Very few of these artefacts could last until today. Some of them decay due to the natural causes, others subjected to the physical destruction and in time, lose their chance of preservability. Very small part of the things that persevered until present time are being unearthed. Archaeologists try to read the past by unearthing these artefacts.

 Archaeologist

They are the scientific experts which study the human-made movable or immovable cultural properties both systematically and methodologically. They try to answer questions about past peoples such as how and where they lived? What they ate and wore? What they believed in?  Archaeologists reveal these sort of information by examining the material cultural properties that could be located above the earth, subterranean or underwater.

Goal

The goal of the Archaeology Department of Trakya University: Doing scientific research in Anatolia and Thrace, sharing the information that gained with the academic world by submitting them on the domestic and the abroad scientific platforms. In addition to this, sharing the aforementioned information and the experience with our students. By so doing, upskilling the students about the concepts and ideas about the archaeology, moreover, the students will be able to assess the data by utilizing the research methods and analyzes of the social sciences that they will also be able to discuss and develop ideas which were based on the scientific evidences. Thus, creating awareness on the students about our country’s cultural values and to raise individuals who could protect our cultural heritage.

Proficiency of the Program
- Defining, classifying and dating the archaeological finds and to have the skills of interpretation and analyzing
- Gaining the skill to make technical drawings of movable and immovable archaeological finds
- To be informed about the preservation and conservation of the movable and immovable archaeological finds
- To be able to stay up to date about the specific archaeological publications and having proficiency of a foreign language to communicate with the foreign colleagues
- Learning the techniques of archaeological photographing and using the computer programs about archiving, drawing and editing photographs
- Having information about the excavation techniques and matters of fieldwork
- To be able to use the technical machines and equipment which needed to do archaeological fieldwork
- To have information about the practices and works museum’s do.
- Achieving awareness to look after the historical and cultural heritages
- To stick by to the ethical values when doing scientific work

Evaluation of the Examinations and the Passing Grade

Evaluation of the examinations and passing grade in our department are determined according to the “Education, Instruction and Examination Regulations of the Trakya University”.

Examinations are evaluated in the scope of the 100 grade system. Final grade of class (Half term/year-end) are the sum of the %30 of the arithmetic mean of the midterm/midterms’s and %70 of the arithmetic mean of the half term/year-end examination’s. Passing grade is 60 (CC as in letter grade).

Conditions for the Graduation

Employment Opportunities

Alumni students of the Archaeology Department could be able to join to the scholarship and work both in domestic and in foreign universities’ archaeology departments’ they took sufficient grades from the tests ALES (Academic Personnel and Postgraduate Education Entrance Exam), YDS (Foreing Language Exam) etc. In case they took sufficient grade from KPSS (Public Personnel Selection Examination), then our alumni students might be able to work as archaeologists in public offices such as the Council of Monuments, Preservation Council of the Cultural and Natural Properties, especially in the large number of Museums all around the Turkey and etc. departments of the Republic of Turkey General Directorate of Cultural Properties which is the subdivision of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism.  They could also be assigned in the municipalities, governorships, and public offices such as the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works. Besides, they could find employment opportunities at the private museums and research centers, journals and publishers. If they were proficient in a foreign language they could work as licensed tourist guides.