University of Memphis Archaeology students spent five-weeks in Turkey this summer exploring 6,000 years of the city’s history through the Unearthing Ancient Turkey class. Through the University, undergraduate students experienced a rare opportunity to go to Turkey on an archeological excavation.
The hands-on experience allowed student to participate in archaeological excavations from time periods ranging from the prehistoric, Bronze Age, Classical and Islamic Golden Age at the Central Anatolian site of Çadir Höyük. Partnering with students from other universities around the world and an international team of archaeologists and specialists, students learned archaeological documenting, laboratory work such as technical drawing, mapping, photography, preservation recovery, conservation and analyzing ceramic, stone, faunal and botanical materials.
PhD musicology student Grace McCommon said studying in Turkey solidified her goals to work within the museum field and to purse certification in conservation.
“Gaining hands-on experience in field conservation at Çadir Höyük under the guidance of several trained staff members from around the world was an invaluable experience that helped me to narrow down potential career goals,” McCommon said.
“After receiving encouragement and recommendations from multiple staff members, I am now looking into several international conservation programs. I was also able to establish a global network of professors, professionals and other students that can — and already have — helped me pursue future career opportunities.”
The course was led by Dr. Laurel Hackley, instructor and curator at the UofM Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology and assistant professor of practice in the Department of Art and Design.
Hackley moved 6,544 miles to Memphis, Tenn., having previously spent 10 years from another city known as Memphis — Cairo, Egypt. She has also done intensive archaeological work in Turkey.
“They were hiring for a curator position in the Egyptian Collection. UofM has an incredible collection of Egyptian antiquities that requires somebody to look after it. That job was open and that’s what brought me here,” she said. The UofM collection started in 1975 with a donation of 44 Egyptian antiquities and has since grown to over 1,400 which include mummies, religious and ceremonial artifacts, jewelry and sculptures.
Her vision was to create a course that allowed students the opportunity to be on site of an excavation. So last year, she started a pilot program with a graduate student hoping to then turn that into a program that allows undergraduates the same opportunity.
“Just the opportunity to do the actual excavation, that’s a big deal. Not a lot of undergraduates have a chance to do this abroad,” Hackley said. “This is a big multinational, interdisciplinary research project and they get to come and be part of that and do the actual work hands on and be a part of this big team and see how a multinational research project works in the field. That’s really important for any student who’s thinking about a career in any field science.”
UofM students stayed in a little village in Central Anatolia. Trips were planned to explore the cities of Istanbul and Ankara.
“One of my favorite memories from the trip is from the castle in Ankara, where we had the fortune of timing our visit with the adhan, or call to prayer. Hearing the adhan echo off of the surrounding hills below us was an unfathomably surreal experience from a musicological perspective,” McCommon said.
McCommon was trusted by a conservator to assist in the excavation’s burial pot reconstruction to reassemble major artifacts. Multiple burial pots during the excavation were estimated to be about 5,000 years old.
Sophomore Anthropology and International and Global Studies major, Megan Carson said, “Going abroad has taught me that I am much more capable than originally thought. For my next few years at Memphis, I really hope to keep delving into my majors and learn all I can from the wonderful professors in my field.”
