From discovery to published legacy

2001: recognising the site

Boncuklu was identified during the Konya Plain Survey in 2001. Recognising its archaeological significance made it possible to investigate a place that was already part of the contemporary local landscape. Discovery in this research sense should not be confused with the first time a community knew that the mound existed.

2006 onwards: excavation and specialist work

The excavation project began in 2006. Over successive seasons, field recording was linked with laboratory investigation of plants, animals, materials, human remains and sediments. Published conclusions emerged from this combination, not from excavation alone. A laboratory result published in one year may concern material recovered much earlier.

The Liverpool REF2021 case study documents work through 2020 and its public impact in 2014–2020. Its account is valuable for understanding museum and school partnerships, but does not describe the final stage of the project. The pandemic interrupted the 2020 field season.

2022: the last excavation season

The 2022 report explicitly identifies the sixteenth and final excavation season. Investigation of earlier levels was changing the known chronology. The report also revisits interpretations of particular buildings. These are examples of how new evidence can alter the picture even late in a long field programme.

2023: study rather than renewed digging

The 2023 review describes the last full field season as work on finds rather than excavation. Calling both 2022 and 2023 “the last season” is understandable only when the type of work is specified. The distinction matters when reading archived recruitment notices or planning a visit.

2026: evaluating interpretation and education

The June 2026 article evaluates the heritage programme and confirms that fieldwork ceased in 2023. It also records the closure of the earlier website in 2023 and the relocation of permanent resources. An updated online edition should preserve that history without manufacturing continuous field news.

For the much older chronology of the settlement, use the archaeological timeline guide. For a dated selection of published milestones, see project milestones.

Keep the two histories alongside one another

A timeline of ancient occupation answers when people used the place. A timeline of research answers when scholars recovered evidence, analysed it and published an explanation. The second can change our understanding of the first. In a display, use separate rows and connect a publication only to the archaeological interval it actually addresses. Avoid giving every new paper the appearance of a new field discovery. This makes the continuing value of analysis visible even after the excavation programme has ended.