ARIT NEWSLETTER American Research Institute in Turkey Number 63, Fall 2020
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ARIT NEWSLETTER American Research Institute in Turkey Number 63, Fall 2020 President and Istanbul, Elif Denel and Zeynep C. Brian Rose, University of Pennsylvania, 2023 LETTER FROM Immediate Past President THE PRESIDENT Simavi, as well as their staffs. Even A. Kevin Reinhart though, in a way, we are further apart Vice President I think it would fair to say that than we have ever been due to the Beatrice Manz, Tufts University, 2023 Secretary the year 2020 has been unlike any quarantine, we’re also closer together. Nikolay Antov, University of Arkansas, 2023 other that we’ve experienced due to Our programming and social events Treasurer used to be restricted to those who Brian Peasnall, University of Delaware, 2023 the COVID-19 pandemic. ARIT has Directors continued to function well, with a wide were physically present in Istanbul Timothy Harrison, University of Toronto, 2021 range of new online programming, and Ankara, but now that our public Kathleen Lynch, University of Cincinnati, 2023 Sylvia Önder, Georgetown University, 2022 even though we were forced to shut events are broadcast and recorded on Van Pulley, at-large, 2021 temporarily the branch offices in Zoom, we can reach members of the Tyler Jo Smith, University of Virginia, 2022 Yücel Yanıkdağ, University of Richmond, 2021 Ankara and Istanbul until the virus ARIT community wherever in the Honorary Director is under control and restrictions on world they might be. Although the Lee Striker in-person interactions are lifted. transition from actual to virtual events Institutional Members Archaeological Institute of America When precisely that will happen is has not been easy for many of us, it University of Arizona has had a transformational effect on University of Arkansas still unclear, although we are hoping Boston University to have the offices open again in the every American Overseas Research Brown University Bryn Mawr College spring of 2021, and to welcome twice Center, including ARIT, and we will University of California, Berkeley as many Turkish language fellows and accelerate our virtual programming as University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego summer interns in 2021. we move forward, even when the threat University of Central Florida We are at our best when things of COVID-19 has faded. University of Chicago University of Cincinnati around us are at their worst, and this Against all expectations, American Columbia University year has witnessed a striking level field projects have continued with in- Cornell University The Council of American Overseas Research of creativity in the development of person work at Turkish archaeological Centers sites (figs. 1, 2). For several months, Dartmouth College online programs. For that we need to Duke University thank our branch directors in Ankara between March and May of 2020, we Dumbarton Oaks Emory University Georgetown University George Mason University Harvard University University of Illinois Indiana University University of Maryland University of Michigan Michigan State University University of Minnesota University of Nebraska New York University University of North Carolina Northwestern University Ohio State University University of Pennsylvania Portland State University Princeton University Rutgers University Stanford University Texas A & M University University of Texas, Austin University of Toronto Tufts University Tulane University University of Virginia Washington University, Saint Louis University of Washington Yale University Figure 1: The Sardis excavation team in August 2020. 1 were uncertain whether any kind of in donations across the board, so I creativity, and perseverance we have fieldwork would be possible this year. ask those of you who can to consider been able to navigate nearly a year- In the end, most of the projects had a increasing your contribution to the long pandemic and maintain the shortened season in July or August, Institute this year, so that we can Institute’s stability and programming. although in most cases without new continue to provide the levels of service This is especially true for Elif, Zeynep, excavation. All of us followed safety that we have continually strived to and Nancy, who consistently searched procedures throughout our seasons, offer. As I wrote to you last year, if we for new and innovative ways of including the wearing of masks, are to maintain the strength of our highlighting the Institute’s programs morning temperature checks, the fellowship program, we need to begin while disseminating information about installation of several hand-sanitizer endowing them. This is an excellent our activities to an increasingly wider stations, and staggered seating at meals. opportunity for you to honor your audience. We’re hoping for full seasons with mentors or supporters with a named excavation in the summer of 2021 if the fellowship, and it can of course be a C. Brian Rose health situation allows us to do so. provision in your estate planning. President Maintaining the strength of the I close again by extending my branches in Istanbul and Ankara has thanks to all of you for your energetic not been easy in 2020 due to a decline support of ARIT. With your resilience, Figure 2: Emre Şahinoğlu and Muradiye Öztaşkın analyzing ceramics at Aphrodisias in July of 2020. 2 ARIT-ISTANBUL Gölönü (State University of New fellowship and internship program BRANCH NEWS York at Buffalo) spoke on “Nativist with Hillsdale College had to pause. Modernism and Cultural Difference in However, our summer language Istanbul Branch News Turkish Republican Painting” (fig. 3). fellows will retain their fellowships for There was also Dr. Gareth Winrow’s the following summer. The good news Looking back to the last year, like talk on his new book, Whispers Across that the Turkish language fellowship everyone else across the world, we at Continents: In Search of the Robinsons, program received another year of ARIT Istanbul have gone through two in which he traces the history of the funding, and Hillsdale College rolled completely different experiences. Until Robinson family from Lincolnshire to over their internship funds to 2021, the first case of COVID-19 announced Constantinople and other parts of the cheered us all, as we hope to welcome in Turkey in mid-March, our programs world, as the political and economic twice as many Turkish language and operations in Istanbul went on upheavals of the late 19th and early fellows and summer interns in 2021, as usual with in-person interactions. 20th centuries impacted the lives of its COVID-19 permitting. Since then, though we adjusted our members. Although it was a lonely summer work to be compatible with our new When the pandemic hit Turkey, we without our fellows and interns in reality of social distancing, we are very had to postpone in-person programs Istanbul, it was not a quiet one. More much looking forward to the time when and started to work remotely following material from The American Board of it is safe again to gather our fellows, government regulations. Currently Missions Archives became available on colleagues, and Friends in person for ARIT Istanbul’s main library collection SALT Research website https://archives. ARIT programs. remains inaccessible due to the closure saltresearch.org/handle/123456789/1. As we ended 2019 and welcomed of the ANAMED facility until Spring Another exciting development to 2020, ARIT Istanbul continued its 2021, however our American Board bring more attention to this important robust programs of book talks and of Missions library collection has been collection in Turkey is an undertaking scholarly lectures on a variety of topics, welcoming researchers since June at by Dr. Batu Bozoğlu, faculty member from Ottoman history to Turkish our Kallavi Sokak location. at Istanbul Okan University and art, from Jewish music in Istanbul to It was an unusual summer in performance artist. Batu is working Turkish literature by ARIT fellows. Istanbul as our Turkish language on a performance art project about There were also talks by established scholars and recent PhDs with the aim of showcasing new scholarship on Turkey subjects in the humanities and social sciences. Some highlights of these programs, which are fully listed below, include a joint lecture given by our Toni M. Cross-William D. E. Coulson Aegean exchange fellow Dr. Georgios Theotokis and his partner in this project Dr. Aysel Yıldız, bringing together their expertise in Byzantine and Ottoman history respectively to examine Esirî Hasan Ağa’s “Advice to the Commanders and Soldiers.” Their goal is to understand the transmission of military knowledge along the Habsburg-Ottoman frontiers. Our ARIT fellow Dr. Joseph Alpar’s talk on the Shabbat musical practice in the Jewish community of Istanbul was co-organized with our colleagues at Figure 3: ARIT-NEH fellow Dr. Berin Gölönü speaking on “Nativist Modernism and the Orient-Institute Istanbul, while Cultural Difference in Turkish Republican Painting” at ANAMED Auditorium our ARIT-NEH Fellow Dr. Berin in January 2020. 3 trauma narratives in the Ottoman as well (fig. 4). In June, we published a tomb on behalf of Mr. Timothy Rawe. Empire during World War I. This visitor’s guide http://www.ferikoycemetery. Mr. Rawe graciously made a generous summer, he led a four-week workshop org/visitor-guide/ authored by Brian donation to ARIT to support the work entitled “Photographs of Pain: Reading Johnson and Richard Wittmann, of the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery American Board of Commissioners acting director of the Orient-Institute Initiative, for which we are very for Foreign Missions Archives” hosted Istanbul. German and Turkish grateful. online by SALT Research, where our translations of the guide are underway. Istanbul Friends of ARIT enjoyed librarian Brian Johnson introduced the The ongoing documentation of the site an underground city walking tour of archive to the workshop participants. results in constant new discoveries, Byzantine Istanbul in November 2019 To ensure the continuity of the hence we decided to share new (figs.