Architecture Degrees Online

Archaeology is the study of the cultural and social development of the past through physical traces of human activity.

Archaeology involves the excavation and dating of findings, such as rock carvings, church ruins, grave-mounds, iron-producing plants, ports and ship wrecks, coins, ceramics, jewellery, weapons tools, glass and textiles. These discoveries are fragments of several precedent cultural societies. Through these findings, our history may be reconstructed. Moreiver, it gives us the opportunity to obtain increased knowledge of life in immediate and distant past.

The bachelor’s programme in Archaeology comprises of archaeological research, excavations, public administration and museum activity. The interaction between theoretical insight and practical work is important in order to provide students with an understanding of the connection between the archaeological research activity and the mundane tasks awaiting archaeologists in several professions within administration and museums, as well as universities and other research institutions.

The programme of study aims to enable students to establish the existence of cultural traces, as well as to obtain knowledge of ancient cultures and societies from physical remnants. This requires thorough knowledge of the source material, and also to the theories and methods employed in the production of archaeological knowledge.

The specialization in Archaeology will provide students with knowledge of the development of societies in both prehistoric and historic past. Special emphasis is placed on regional development in an international perspective. An introduction to archaeological theory and method, including empirical data and field archaeology, will provide the students with an insight into how archaeological knowledge emerges.

Since its foundation in 1956, Middle East Technical University has been very interested in archaeology and archaeometrical studies. This interest, which was already existing independently in the departments of physics and chemistry, flourished with the Keban Dam Rescue Project (1968-1974). The Keban and Lower Euphrates Projects began in 1975 and were expanded with the establishment of the METU Research Center for the Investigation and Salvage of Historical Remains, TEKDAM, in 1982 and have continued until the present time with the name of METU Center for Research and Assessment of the Historic Environment, TAÇDAM, since 199 display of various findings from some of the excavations on the Campus and in the Ankara Region. Koçumbeli Idol was one of those findings on campus grounds. It was used as the symbol of the 29th International Symposium on Archaeometry organized by the graduate program of Archaeomery (METU) which was held in Ankara in 1994.

The scientists who have carried out individual studies in Turkey since 1960s have been cooperating with archaeologists. In the 1970s, an application was filed to TÜBİTAK for the establishment of a Unit of Archaeometry attached to it and eventually the Unit of Archaeometry was established in 1980. Scientists from METU, Hacettepe, Istanbul, Boğaziçi, Istanbul Technical, Çukurova and Fırat Universities have participated in this Unit. This Unit continued to do research under the name of AKSAY which stands for the “Investigation of Archaeological findings by Spectroscopic and Analytical Methods” in Turkish. This Unit functioned until 1992. Alongside the work of the Unit, there was a need to educate students who would carry out archaeometric studies in the museums and at other research laboratories. As a result of this, METU initiated a Masters Program in Archaeometry as part of the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences in 1990 with thesis and non-thesis version in 2003. These programs educate bachelors degree holders in all fields.

The main purpose of the program is to qualify the graduates toward bringing solutions to the archaeological problems by the application of scientific methods of natural and applied sciences. The study and understanding of history have acquired a new dimension through the collaboration between pure scientists and archaeologists. Thus, the analysis, identification and dating of archaeological remains and materials have become complete.