MAKÜ Archaeology Students' First Lesson Started in the Footsteps of 5,300 Years of History

Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ) Archaeology Department first-year students experienced an unforgettable archaeology experience in the early days of their university education. The students' first field lesson was conducted at the Hacılar Büyük Höyük Excavation, led by Dr. Faculty Member Aslı ÜNAR.

“Our first lesson was to shovel together.”

Students who have just started their archaeology education had the opportunity to directly experience archaeology in the field by participating in excavation work at Hacılar Büyük Höyük during their first lesson. Students, who received information about the methods of archaeological excavation, documentation of finds, and how the past of an archaeological site is revealed, accompanied the excavation team in their work.

The most exciting moment of the day was when the students witnessed archaeological findings dating back approximately 5,300 years on-site. Students, who had the opportunity to see the traces of the past, which had been buried underground for thousands of years, revealed at the very beginning of their education, experienced that archaeology is not just a field of science learned in the classroom, but a field discipline that directly touches the past.

Hacılar Büyük Höyük Excavation Head and MAKÜ Archaeology Department Faculty Member Dr. Faculty Member Aslı ÜNAR emphasized the importance of the students' first experiences in the excavation area, stating, “Our first lesson was to shovel together. However, the most exciting part for them was witnessing the emergence of findings from 5,300 years ago on-site. Today, we embarked on a journey into the depths of history with our students.”

Students closely following the excavation work spent the day with the excavation team and also became guests at the field table. Thus, students had the opportunity to closely learn not only the scientific processes of archaeological excavation but also teamwork and field life.

Hacılar Büyük Höyük, one of the important centers of Turkish archaeology, hosted not only its thousands of years of history this time but also the first professional experiences of future archaeologists. This meeting, which started on the students' first days at the university, became an unforgettable first step of archaeology education extending from the classroom to the field.