Nederlands Instituut in Turkije
Hollanda AraştIrma Enstİtüsü      Netherlands Institute in Turkey

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Lecture  February 18, 2010 (18:00) Jesper Eidem (NINO-Netherlands Institute for the Near East): Qala’at Halwanji — a 4000 year old fortress in Syria Abstract: Archaeological investigations at Qala’at Halwanji in northern Syria were initiated in 2008-9 by Jesper Eidem, in collaboration with the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums. Qala’at Halwanji is a 5 ha large fortress of the mature Middle Bronze Age (18th-17th cent. BC) located on the Sajour river ca. 15 km west of the Euphrates. A series of sondages have revealed extremely well preserved architectural remains, all heavily burnt in a destructive fire in antiquity. Among the finds are clay seal impressions made with some of the finest seals known from ancient Syria, and revealing high-level international connections. The Halwanji fortress must have been established by one of the major regional powers of the period, but the precise identity of this power and the whole historical scenario is as yet unclear. The site will be the focus for a large project of regional survey, excavation and restoration planned as one of the activities of NINO in the coming years. Özet Kuzey Suriye'de bulunan Qala'at Halwanji'deki arkeolojik araştırmalar 2008-9 yılında Jesper Eidem tarafından Suriye Eski Eserler ve Müzeler Genel Müdürlüğü'nün işbirliği ile başlatılmıştır. Qala'at Halwanji 5 hektar büyüklüğünde bir Orta Tunç Çağı (MÖ 18-17.yy.) kalesidir ve Fırat'ın yaklaşık 15 km batısındaki Sajour nehri yanında konumlanmıştır. Yapılan bir seri sondaj son derece iyi korunmuş mimari kalıntıların varlığını ortaya çıkarmıştır ve bu kalıntıların tümü yanmış durumdadır. Buluntular arasında Suriye'den bilinen en iyi mühürlerin bazıları ile yapılmış mühür baskıları yer almaktadır ve bu baskılar üst düzey uluslararası ilişkileri açığa çıkarmaktadır. Halwanji kalesi dönemin önemli bölgesel güçlerinden biri tarafından kurulmuş olmalıdır, fakat bu gücün kimliği ve tarihsel senaryo henüz net değildir. Yerleşme, NINO'nun ilerideki yıllar için planladığı bölgesel yüzey araştırması, kazı ve restorasyon çalışmalarını içeren geniş bir projenin odak noktasını oluşturacaktır.

Previous activities 2010 Lecture Doing research on Ottoman women and the International Women's Movement or, how to turn into an armchair scholar Nicole van Os (Leiden University) 10 February 2010 (more information) 2009 Symposium Connections in Past and present. Istanbul Graduate Symposium on Archaeology, 19 December, 2009 (more information) Symposium Museums and Display. Stories in a showcase  13-14 November, 2009 (more information) Seminars Archaeobotany Seminars at NIT with René Cappers 6, 7, 8 October, 2009 (more information) Masterclasses New Approaches in Archaeobotany 5-9 October 2009  (read more) Fifth Workshop of the Global Collaboratory on the History of Labour Relations International Institute of Social History (IISG) with NIT 25-26 September 2009 Symposium Ottoman Biographical Sources I: The Sixteenth Century Ottoman Biographer Aşık Çelebi and His Work June 19, 2009  (more information) Lecture Experimentalism in Turkish literature: Adalet Ağaoğlu's YazSonu Petra de Bruijn (Leiden University) June 11, 2009 (more information) Lecture The 2nd Neolithic Revolution in Asia Minor: Evaluating Possible Causes Bleda S. Düring (Leiden University) May 21, 2009 (more information) Lecture Fritz Rudolf Kraus in Istanbul (1937-1949) and the development of Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Turkey Jan Schmidt (Leiden University), May 11, 2009  (more information) Lecture Depraved Borderlands - Love Affairs Between Muslims and non-Muslims in Dutch Literature from the Middle Ages until today Sjoerd-Jeroen Moenandar (Groningen University), May 6, 2009 (more information) Lecture On clocks and dreams: the novel Saatleri Ayarlama Enstitüsü [Time Regulation Institute] by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar Hanneke van der Heijden (translator), April 6, 2009 (more information) 2nd Workshop on Neolithic Anatolia 2-3 March 2009 at Istanbul University  The Neolithic Period in Western Anatolia and Thrace: Attempt for Sharing Information and Constructing a Chronology  Organizing institutions: Department of Prehistory of Istanbul University - Department of Archaeology of Aegean University - Netherlands Institute in Turkey Lecture Empires, Cities, Sanctuaries. Imperial Patronage of Sanctuaries in Asia Minor and beyond, ca. 550 BCE-950 CE Rolf Strootman January 28, 2009 (more information)   2008 >>> 2007 >>> 2006 >>>