Digging up the past and the past are contradictions. The very act of unearthing is irreversible. And so archaeologists must ask themselves where and when to stop digging; what to preserve and what to sacrifice. This decision-making process is subjective and informed by individual or organizational agendas. Akar’s talk addresses this dilemma in the context of the Bronze Age capital city of the Kingdom of Mukish: Tell Atchana, Alalakh (Hatay), currently under the care of a team of archaeologists, conservators and cultural heritage specialists, who are attempting to preserve mud brick monuments severely damaged in the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes.
Speaker: Murat Akar, Mustafa Kemal University
Issue 66, December 2023
Turkey’s Centenary Issue
