This year after the mid-season party the Boncuklu team had the opportunity to take a well-deserved break for the beginning of the Kurban Bayram holiday. This year thirteen of our number traveled to Cappadocia (three hours north-east of Boncuklu) for a fun-filled weekend of sight-seeing, museum-hunting, hiking, eating, wine-tasting, and […]
Zooarchaeology at Boncuklu
At Boncuklu we have a range of specialists working with human and animal remains found within the trenches. Zooarchaeology is the analysis of animal remains found in the archaeological record, which involves the identification of specific species utilised at the site and their age and sex, to learn about animal […]
Cooking the old fashioned way at Boncuklu’s visitor centre
More experiments have been undertaken over the last week in and around our replica houses, including a lot of experimental fuel burning and cooking. The action started with the construction of some outdoor shelters and hearths by Gökhan Mustafaoğlu, helped by Fe and Ed. The shelter gives shade in the […]
Boncuklu 2015 season approaches
Only a few more sleeps until the Boncuklu excavation team reassemble for the 2015 excavation season. A recent trip to the site showed that our replica buildings have survived the winter well and are now beautifully framed by the late spring grasses. As well as excavating on the tepe, this […]
Boncuklu Fieldschool 2015 now open for applications
2015 will see the second Boncuklu fieldschool which is part of the Institute for Field Research program. The fieldschool includes on site training in archaeological practice and is accredited by the IFR. If you are interested go to the IFR website: http://www.ifrglobal.org/programs/me/turkey-boncuklu-project or the “Dig with us” link on this site. […]
Boncuklu Open Day
Last week saw the extremely successful Boncuklu Open Day occur, with welcome speeches given by Professor Douglas Baird, and Mehmet Hancerli, the Belediye Başkan (Mayor) of Karatay. Interactive children’s activities, including drawing and bead threading, occurred consecutively, with site volunteers assisting visitors. A comprehensive site tour followed, covering all currently […]
Update from the trenches – 11 September 2014
As the end of the dig season approaches and cooler weather comes to the site, exciting new discoveries are being uncovered at Boncuklu. The broken floor of the outdoor working structure in Area M has now been fully excavated, proving to be quite shallow, as it quickly came down onto […]
Excursions and Activities at Boncuklu
The last two weeks at Boncuklu have been exceptionally busy and exciting, and not just because of the archaeology! A weekend at the Turkish Lakes district, the holding of the Boncuklu Ashes, and a trip to Konya to see the Whirling Dervishes perform the Mevlevi sema have ensured the weeks […]
Replica house construction begins
The garden has been cleared (above) and the digging has begun of the foundations for our new replica house display. This season we are constructing replica Neolithic houses, under the guidance of Prof. Ofer Bar Yosef, to form part of our visitor centre. Boncuklu’s houses were built around and in […]
View through the lens of time
Another layer of the interpretation was delivered this week. From inside the visitor centre building the large window which allows people to see the excavation mound has been updated with installation of an illustration by cartoonist Peter Carnavas on transparent film. Careful planning of the building’s location and positioning of […]